Those include states with recent increases in coronavirus infections, such as South Dakota at 121 percent of pre-pandemic travel levels, South Carolina at 108 percent, and Oklahoma at 105 percent, according to the INRIX data analyzed up to June 12. Bob Pishue, an INRIX transportation analyst, said the number of miles traveled by passenger vehicles nationwide during the week of June 6-12 averaged 93 percent of miles traveled during the last week of February. He said vehicle mileage has increased steadily since April 9, when average traffic nationwide bottomed out at 52 percent of normal.
However, Pishue said, when seasonal travel changes are factored in, the national average comes closer to 80 percent of what is typical for this time of year. That is because people drive about 15 to 20 percent more in the summer compared with winter months. “We’re still down,” Pishue said. “We’re just now hitting that February level.”
Many major metropolitan areas also have seen less traffic growth, Pishue said, probably because many people still working from home are not commuting into downtowns and other job centers.