- Chevron executive says Americans should drive less as gas prices continue climbing.
- Most U.S. drivers spend the bulk of their miles commuting and running errands.
- Andy Walz’s advice may make sense for enthusiasts, but not for average Americans.
Americans are once again staring at painful prices at the pump, and one of the top executives at Chevron thinks he has the answer. Andy Walz, Chevron’s president of downstream, midstream, and chemicals, told CBS News that Americans should “try to drive less” and conserve energy while oil prices remain at record highs amid the conflict in Iran. That might sound reasonable coming from an energy company executive, but it also sounds spectacularly tone deaf.
Walz isn’t some average commuter wondering whether he can afford to fill up his aging crossover before work. He’s one of the most senior figures at one of the world’s largest oil companies, and likely earns more in a year than many Americans will make in a lifetime.
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So when he tells people to simply drive less, it comes across less like practical advice and more like a millionaire telling families to skip a few meals when groceries get too expensive. The bigger problem is that Walz’s comments seem to assume Americans are out there joyriding for no reason. In reality, the data says that most people are driving because they have no other choice.
How Much Driving Is Actually Optional?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 77 percent of Americans commute to work by car, while just 3 percent use public transportation. The average one-way commute is around 26 minutes, and the average commuter travels about 20.5 miles each way. Multiply that across a normal work year, and the typical American racks up roughly 9,800 miles simply getting to and from work.
That matters because the average American drives about 13,500 miles annually. In other words, commuting alone accounts for around three-quarters of the miles many people drive every year. Once you add in grocery runs, school drop-offs, medical appointments, and errands, there is precious little left that could reasonably be called optional.
Recreational Driving Remains A Minority
And while enthusiasts and weekend drivers absolutely exist, we are not the norm. A 2022 Federal Highway Administration survey found that only a small minority of trips are classified as social or recreational driving. The overwhelming majority are tied to work, shopping, family obligations, and other basic needs.
In other words, most Americans are not sitting around wondering whether they should take the long way home in their Mustang or spend Sunday afternoon carving through canyon roads. They are trying to get to work, pick up their kids, stop at the grocery store, and get home without another painful stop at the gas station.
Would it be cool if most drivers enjoyed the act of piloting a vehicle so much that they did it for recreation? Absolutely, the roads would almost certainly be a safer place. But for now, in the reality we live in, Waltz’s advice seems to apply solely to enthusiasts because the vast majority of Americans don’t do the thing he thinks can help.
