Top chart:  Driving a car, truck or sport utility vehicle is one of the most environmentally harmful activities a Connecticut resident will engage in personally. Impacts are direct (air pollution, oil leakage, etc.) and indirect (creating demand for new roads). In nearly every year for several decades, the average Connecticut resident drove more miles than in the previous year. That trend halted in 2008. The reasons for the decades of increasing vehicle use are complex and include the fact that most new development was accessible only by private vehicle. The drop in driving by Connecticut residents that began in 2008 mirrored the national trend. As residents drove less, gasoline consumption decreased and pollution was reduced. From 2007 through 2013, the miles driven by the average resident was on a steady decline. The slight increase in miles driven in 2014 also followed the national trend. Even as travel leveled off in 2016, gasoline consumption, which began to rise in 2014, continued to rise, apparently an effect of less efficient vehicles on the road. Gasoline and diesel consumption is displayed on the Climate Changers page.