Originally Posted by
Caretaker
The article refers to a 1.7 % per capita drop so the population would have to rise by less than 1.7% over the same period to translate into a real drop in car usage.
Any drop is a "real" drop.
I think you meant to say "drop in total miles driven nationwide." Mileage rates--both total and per capita--have risen every year for more than 100 years. Therefore, any drop whatsoever is a "real" drop and is socially significant. For the record, total miles driven in the US have dropped in recent years.