Accuracy & Disclaimer

DriveDist publishes estimated driving distances, times, and fuel figures for US city pairs. This page explains how those numbers are produced, what they represent, and the limits of their accuracy.

Data sources

Road distances and driving durations are computed from the OpenStreetMap (OSM) road network, processed by the open-source OSRM routing engine. OSM is a collaborative, openly licensed map of the world maintained by a global volunteer community.

City names, coordinates, and population figures are drawn from US Census Bureau public records. Populations represent estimates from the most recent available census release and will lag real-time population change.

What the numbers represent

• Driving distance — the length of the primary driving route between two points as computed by OSRM using the standard car profile on the OSM road graph.
• Straight-line (air) distance — the great-circle distance between the two city centroids; included for reference.
• Drive time — OSRM’s duration estimate based on road class, speed limits, and routing weights. It does not model traffic, construction, weather, or driver behavior.
• Fuel consumption and cost — derived arithmetically from the driving distance and the fuel economy value entered by the user (25 MPG and 30 MPG are shown as defaults). Costs assume a single per-gallon price you enter, and do not model fuel-price variation across states or EV charging costs.
• States, highways, and cities on the route — extracted programmatically from the OSRM route geometry and turn-by-turn steps. They represent the primary computed route and may differ from alternative routes your navigation app prefers based on real-time conditions.

Known limitations

• No live traffic. All drive times are free-flow estimates. Actual time will be longer during rush hours, on major holidays, and on routes through dense urban areas.
• No weather or seasonal closures. Mountain pass closures, hurricane-related detours, and winter road-condition advisories are not reflected in the numbers.
• Periodic refresh cadence. Our OSM-derived data is refreshed on a periodic schedule (typically every several months), not in real time. Newly opened or permanently closed roads may not be represented until the next refresh.
• Toll information is indicative, not authoritative. Toll-road notes on route pages are generated from the states crossed and common toll-interstate pairings. They do not represent a binding quote; confirm actual toll costs with official state agencies or your navigation app.
• City identifiers. Distances are computed from a single geographic centroid per city. Trips originating from a suburb, airport, or specific address may differ by several miles from the numbers shown here.

No warranty

DriveDist provides this information “as is” and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, timeliness, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. We do not represent or warrant that the distances, drive times, cost estimates, or route descriptions shown are free from error.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, DriveDist, its operators, contributors, and upstream data providers (including but not limited to the OpenStreetMap Foundation and the OSRM project) shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising out of or in connection with your access to or use of the information on this site — including, without limitation, losses related to delayed arrival, missed appointments, fuel overspend, tolls, route closures, vehicle damage, or personal injury.

You use the information on DriveDist at your own risk and agree that it is your responsibility to verify any route, distance, or time with current, authoritative sources — such as a live navigation app, state DOT advisories, and local traffic reports — before traveling.

Not for safety-critical use

DriveDist is a general-purpose planning reference. It is not intended for, and must not be relied upon in, safety-critical, commercial dispatch, hazardous-material transport, emergency-response routing, or any application where accuracy materially affects the safety of persons or property. For such uses, consult a professional routing service with service-level guarantees.

Third-party services and links

We link to OpenStreetMap, OSRM, and navigation providers for reference. DriveDist is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by those services, and is not responsible for the content or availability of third-party sites. Trademarks referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners.

Reporting errors

If you spot a significant inaccuracy — for example, a route that misses an obvious interstate, or a distance that is clearly wrong for a well-known corridor — please report it. We use these reports to prioritize data refreshes and fix systematic issues. Contact details are on the About page.

Governing terms

By using DriveDist you agree that any dispute arising from use of the site is governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which the site operator is domiciled, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If any part of this disclaimer is found unenforceable in a particular jurisdiction, the remainder shall remain in full force and effect.

Last updated: 2026-04-19.