Relationship between economic growth and road traffic

US road traffic are declining for the first time in 25 years.

In economics as in life, it is very important to use logic and common sense. Often, some of the economic indicators published are complicated to understand for everyone, such as money supply data, the GDP deflator, aggregate demand, or current account deficits. There exist “alternative indicators” in real life that help everybody to understand the economic situation (see my post on the relationship between the construction of skyscrapers in New York and subsequent economic crises). Another indicator that reflects the health of economic activity is the growth in traffic on the roads. In fact, for the first time in 25 years, the traffic in the United Status are declining. The figure is even more serious, looking at other recessions, like in 1990 or in 2001 or 2002 ones.  Never in the past the road traffic decreases.

So this time, this recession in the United States may be much worse than previous ones.