U.S. motorists drive to new record in April

U.S. motorists drove a record number of miles in April, U.S. government data showed on Wednesday, as a resurgence in road travel that has lasted over a year showed no signs of easing.

Americans logged 267.9 billion miles on U.S. roads in April, the highest for the month on record going back to 1990 and up 3.9 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Federal Highway Administration.

That’s the 14th consecutive month of year-on-year growth, with north-central and western regions accounting for just under one-half of the total, growing at the fastest pace.

For the first four months of the year, motor travel was up by 37 billion miles, or 3.9 percent, to a record 987.8 billion miles, as a drop in U.S. gasoline prices spurred more Americans to take to the road.

Americans’ driving habits are watched closely by oil and corn-based ethanol traders since U.S. gasoline demand accounts for about one-tenth of global oil demand and a big portion of biofuel consumption.