CityNerd names '10 Cities Where Driving Consumes the Most of Your Life,' a driving update

Pearl the Prius's odometer will roll over 64,000 miles by the time I return home from work today, so it's time for a driving update. I begin with Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty naming (and shaming) 10 Cities Where Driving Consumes the Most of Your Life.

In 1974, Ivan Illich wrote that the typical American male spent 25% of his waking life either driving a car or working for the income required to pay for one. 50 years later, is this true? And, which cities consume the most -- and least -- of our time with driving?

I'm not surprised that the Inland Empire has the cities that require the most time spent driving or working to support a car. It's one of the things I miss the least about southern California after moving to Michigan 35 years ago.

That's the overall driving picture. Follow over the jump for my personal update.


It's been 74 days since Pearl passed 63,000 miles on Thursday, March 21, 2024, which results in averages of 13.51 miles per day, 412.16 miles per standard month, 4,932.43 miles per standard year, and 4,945.95 miles per leap year. While that's a lot more than the 10.10 miles per day, 308.08 miles per standard accounting month, 3,686.87 miles per standard year, and 3,696.97 miles per leap year I drove her between Wednesday, December 13, 2023 and March 21, 2024, I have an good reason, if not an excuse. I'm attributing the additional mileage to driving to see the 'Great American Eclipse'. As I wrote in Colbert and Kimmel recap the eclipse, "I'm almost as thrilled as I was seeing the eclipse myself yesterday, but with much less work. Catching the end of totality by pulling off to the side of the freeway when the sky finally went dark and pulling out my special glasses was a reward for getting stuck in traffic and worrying I wouldn't make it to the umbra. I can say 'yes, I saw it.' Cross that off my bucket list..." I still think it was worth it.

The comparable period was from Tuesday, February 21, 2023 and Thursday, June 1, 2023, when I drove Pearl exactly 10 miles per day, 305 miles per standard month, and 3,650 miles per standard year. Driving to see the eclipse really had an effect!

Having the comparable period last year end on June 1, 2023, when Pearl turned over 59,000 miles makes the final analysis easy, as I will have driven her 5,000 miles in 368 days (leap year), for averages of 13.59 miles per day, 414.40 miles per standard month, 4,959.24 miles per standard year, and 4,972.83 miles per leap year. Those are all more than the 12.69 miles per day, 387.06 miles per standard accounting month, 4,631.98 miles per standard year, and 4,644.67 miles per leap year for the year-over-year from March 21, 2024. I expect my mileage will fall slightly at the next update — no long trips planned on Pearl this summer!

That's a wrap for today's driving update. Stay tuned for the final marching music for primaries and caucuses post tomorrow.