Tackling traffic like a pro: Game day driving trends in 2024 vs. 2025

Despite one team coming close to breaking a record with three consecutive championship wins, the big game 🏈 ended in a blowout – with the other team coming out on top. However, a different record was broken as this year’s game attracted 127.7 million viewers.  

Big events like this always have a way of disrupting typical traffic patterns across the country, but how can these game outcomes impact year-over-year trends? Read on to learn what roadways looked like on game day in 2024 versus 2025.

What did U.S. roads look like on game day Feb. 9, 2025? Compared to the Sunday before, there were 11% fewer trips driven during the big game and a 17% increase in trips driven after the big game. 

A close call vs. a landslide victory 

In 2024, everyone was on the edge of their seats as the big game went into overtime, which is only the second time this has happened in the league’s history. This year, however, it was a dominant win with a 24-0 halftime lead and a final score of 40-22. 

In both 2024 and 2025, fewer trips were driven during the game compared to the prior Sunday – likely as folks settled in to watch the two teams face off with glimpses of celebrity cameos.  

• In 2024, post-game trips increased 50% in the three hours after the game compared to the prior Sunday.  
• In 2025, that increase wasn’t as dramatic, with post-game trips only 17% higher.  

This difference may be because the 2024 championship game went into overtime, running 40 minutes longer than this year’s. After such a long game, fans might have been eager to head home, while this year – with a shorter game – people may have felt less rushed to wrap up their watch parties. 

This insight can also be supported by looking at when people headed out.   

• This year followed the typical post-game pattern, where there was a clear “spike” in trips driven as people departed within the hour after the big game ended.  

• Last year was an outlier, with more of a “plateau” as people hit the roads at different times. While some also left after the game ended, some people left early – whether that was later in the second half or during overtime.  

Arity in action 

While the championship game is bound to disrupt normal traffic patterns every year, it’s interesting to see how the outcomes of these games may be influencing our roadways. Driving behavior data at scale can reveal these nuances, helping consumers, businesses, and government agencies better navigate these shifts.   

Ready to learn more about U.S. driving trends? Download our data report below. 

About Arity’s source data 

Arity’s multi-source dataset, comprising over 45 million active connections, captures anonymized and aggregated driving behavior data from consumer apps and insurance telematics programs. By drawing from diverse sources beyond any single industry, we provide a comprehensive view of how, where, and when people move across the U.S., with representation across all states and demographics. 

Our data distinguishes personal trips from gig driving and non-driving impacts, offering insights into trends like speeding, braking, acceleration, phone handling, and time of day. Supported by the largest telematics dataset linked to auto insurance claims, we can accurately predict the impact of shifting dangerous driving behaviors detailed in this report.