Driving vs Linear Distance
Compare the straight-line distance to an estimated driving distance.
About Driving vs Linear Distance
Roads rarely follow a straight line, so the driving distance almost always exceeds the linear distance. The detour ratio quantifies that overhead for route planning. Knowing the typical detour factor for a region keeps you from budgeting a drive based on an unrealistic straight-line distance.
Formula
Driving vs Linear Distance
Detour ratio = driving / straight-line; extra% = (driving - linear)/linear
- detour ratio
- How much longer the road route is than a straight line
Worked example
With the default values below, Driving vs Linear Distance returns Detour Ratio of 1.33. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Straight-line distanceminimum 0 mi
- 120 mi
- Actual driving distanceminimum 0 mi
- 160 mi
Results
- Detour Ratio
- 1.33
- Extra Miles vs Straight Line
- 40.0 mi
- Extra Percent
- 33.33%
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Driving vs Linear Distance
- 3Detour Ratio= 1.33
- 4Extra Miles vs Straight Line= 40.0 mi
- 5Extra Percent= 33.33
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Driving vs Linear Distance calculated?
Detour ratio = driving / straight-line; extra% = (driving - linear)/linear Roads rarely follow a straight line, so the driving distance almost always exceeds the linear distance. The detour ratio quantifies that overhead for route planning.
Why does Driving vs Linear Distance matter?
Knowing the typical detour factor for a region keeps you from budgeting a drive based on an unrealistic straight-line distance.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Straight-line distance, Actual driving distance. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.