Did You Know?

Just for fun here’s a roundup of interesting facts and figures presented in visual displays by the U.S Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

#DYK: President William Howard Taft strongly believed in the future of the automobile and encouraged Congress to invest in road infrastructure. In 1909, President Taft revolutionized White House transportation by replacing the horse stables with a garage and purchasing the first official presidential automobile fleet. #PresidentsDay #Interstate70th

 

President Warren G. Harding was the first president who knew how to drive a car. In 1921, he became the first President to ride to his inauguration in a car—Packard Twin 6. This marked a symbolic shift away from the horse-and-carriage era. #PresidentsDay

 

Whoa! #DYK President Grant was once arrested for speeding while driving his horses near 13th and M St. in Washington D.C. — despite being given a warning about speeding the day before? Even back then, Americans knew the importance of traveling at safe speeds. That’s why Setting Appropriate Speed Limits for All Road Users is one of FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures! Learn about speed management and 27 other strategies effective in reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries on our nation’s highways at https://highways.dot.gov/…/proven-safety-countermeasures. #PresidentsDay

 

Literally as the crow flies. #DYK that the straightest stretch of highway in the U.S. and Canada is located in North Dakota with 31-mile Highway 46? #Interstate70th

 

Whether you’re crossing the entire country or just crossing the neighborhood, there’s an interstate for that. Just don’t blink while driving the I-878, or you might miss the whole thing! #InterstateFacts #TravelTrivia #DYK #Interstate70th

Did you know that 25% of traffic fatalities and 50% of traffic injuries occur at intersections? Find out how your community can use FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures to reduce injuries and deaths at intersections. Safety is a priority at FHWA.

 

#DYK: There are more vehicles than drivers! In 2023, the number of registered vehicles to licensed drivers was 1.2 vehicles per person.

 

We know you have a lot of places to go and people to see in 2026 so please make a resolution to slow down since over 29% of traffic deaths in the last 5 years were speeding related! https://highways.dot.gov/safety/speed-management #NewYear2026

 

#DYK: A quarter more miles are traveled on interstates than other roads! Interstates make up only 1 percent of all roadway mileage but carry over 25 percent of all travel.

 

#DKY: Completed in 1764, Choate Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in FHWA’s National Bridge Inventory. The bridge, located in Massachusetts, remains basically unaltered with two stone arches and a stone guard wall. It even carried 26,250 vehicles daily in 2024! https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm