What Tool to Use for Mile Measurement

A car odometer is the most reliable tool for mile measurement. To measure one mile by foot, you can use a pedometer.

Odometer basics

An odometer is connected to a vehicle's wheels. Based on the number of wheel revolutions, the odometer calculates distance.

Reset the odometer

To measure exactly one mile---or to measure the exact distance of any trip in miles---stop your car at the point from which you want to measure one mile. Reset the odometer. Check the vehicle manual if your odometer has a more complex resetting method.

Reading the odometer

Drive. The odometer tracks the distance usually in increments of tenths of a mile (0.1 miles). Odometers do not measure "as the crow flies." In other words, the odometer will measure the exact distance the car has traveled, not the direct distance between locations.

Atlas comparison

To check the accuracy of your mile measurements, compare the readings from the odometer to a map. Atlases normally include the exact distances for certain stretches of highway, as well as the on-road distance between towns and cities.

Pedometers

The average adult's step is three feet (one yard). Use a tape measure to check the exact length of your stride. If your stride is three feet, 1,760 steps will equal a mile. To calculate the number of steps in a mile based on your stride length, divide 5,280 by the distance of one of your steps.

Resources

• Odometer information fact sheet
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration