How Can I Use NHTS Data?

NHTS Data can be used for various purposes at the National, State, and Local levels. A comprehensive compendium of salient uses by our various users is posted at http://nhts.ornl.gov/2001/pub/usersAndUses.shtml

At the National Level, NHTS can be used to study policy implications and travel behavior trends, among others. Some examples are:

• TRAFFIC SAFETY: Historically, NPTS has been a primary source of data (along with the Fatal Accident Reporting System – FARS) to compute accident rates, analysis of travel risk, alcohol involvement etc. General Estimates System (GES) and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), do not contain information on driver or vehicle exposure. In order to obtain appropriate exposure data; estimates of vehicle miles driven (VMD) by different drivers using the NPTS are combined with annual crash rates and injury severity information from the GES for a comprehensive assessment of overall risk to different drivers across vehicle classes.
• CONGESTION: NPTS data are widely used across the nation to analyse travel behavior, build travel models, commuting, travel time, mobility, economy, and sprawl issues.
• ENERGY CONSUMPTION: NPTS was used as a reference in preparing the Energy and Transportation Task Force Report. This is one of seven reports prepared for the President's Council on Sustainable Development, 1996. Also see http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/FTPROOT/consumption/046405.pdf .

At the State Level, NHTS has been used in similar applications, and for travel forecasting. Some online examples include:

• Inputs to Travel Demand Forecasting – The Wisconsin Experience
• Air Quality Analysis – The New York Experience: The analyses described in this paper address topics raised by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (ENCON), the state's environmental agency, and the NYSDOT including Air Quality State Implementation Plan, and related activities, such as creating VMT inventories, updating ENCON's emission model, and the conformity analyses of the department's transportation program. Other applications at NYSDOT are shown at http://www.dot.state.ny.us/ttss/npts.html

COGs and MPOs rely on the NHTS to supply data to their transportation models that forecast facility improvement needs. Further, the NHTS helps define trends in travel behavior within and beyond each region.  The NHTS has been an invaluable source for tracking changes in travel patterns, such as the decline in work trips and the increase in travel for familial and social/recreational purposes. Analysis of travel trends by special needs population groups – such as the elderly and young adults – have provided important data to the local governments that provide them with services. Some examples include:

• Autoavailability Modeling – The Baltimore Case Study
• Use of NPTS in a Small MPO Context