Full Title: Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey
Author(s): U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
Publication Date: August 13, 2024
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Both policymakers and transportation decision-makers rely on transportation statistics, including data on personal travel behavior, to formulate strategic transportation policies and improve the safety and efficiency of the U.S. transportation system. Policymakers, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, industry professionals, and academic researchers use such data to gauge the extent and patterns of travel, plan new investments, and better understand the implications of travel trends on the Nation’s transportation infrastructure and overall quality of life through equitable access for all Americans.
To address these data needs, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) initiated an effort to collect detailed data on personal travel in 1969. The 1969 survey was the first Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS). The survey was conducted again in 1977, 1983, 1990, and 1995. In 2001, the survey was expanded by integrating the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)- managed NPTS and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)-sponsored American Travel Survey (ATS), and the survey was renamed the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The NHTS was conducted again in 2009, 2017, and 2022. The NPTS/NHTS data series is the only source of national travel behavior data that tracks trends in personal and household travel. The survey gathers trip related data, such as mode of transportation, duration, distance, and trip purpose, and links the travel-related information to demographic, geographic, and economic data for analysis purposes.