Live Far Away? Most Likely You Drive Alone

WASHINGTON - When it comes to driving to work alone, the Washington metro region is bucking the trend with more people driving together or taking mass transit.

Washington is second in the nation with the greatest percentage of mass transit users at 13.2 percent. San Francisco is No. 1 with 13.7 percent.

A Census report finds that from 2000 to 2005, the percentage of people driving alone to work increased slightly to 77 percent.

The statistics indicate that the farther you are from mass transit, the more likely you are to drive alone.

Across all of Maryland 73.6 percent drove alone in 2005. In Virginia, the Census Bureau says statewide 78.4 percent drove alone. In D.C. the percentage of drivers driving alone was 37.5 percent.

But in Montgomery County, 66.9 percent drove alone. Specifically, in Silver Spring 49 percent drove alone. In Prince George's County, 63.7 percent drove alone. In Charles County, 78.7 percent of drivers ride alone.

In Howard County, 80.3 percent of commuters drive solo, but specifically in Columbia, 78 percent ride alone.

In Virginia, 54.6 percent in Arlington County and 64.9 percent in Alexandria City drove alone, compared with 72.9 percent in Fairfax County, 75.8 percent in Stafford County and 78.5 percent in Loudoun County.

"As bad as they (the numbers) may sound, they are among the best in the nation," says Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

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