1. US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
The National Household
Travel Survey
Heather Contrino
US Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

2. About the NHTS…
Only national data source on travel demand and travel behavior of the American public.
Measures travel by US households for all modes and all purposes
Survey conducted since 1969

3. NHTS uses a classic travel diary as a memory jogger…
At the beginning of my travel day (4:00 a.m.) I was:
 Home  Some other place
WHERE
did you go?
(Name of place)
What TIME did you
start and end each trip?
WHY
did you go there?
HOW
did you travel?
How FAR was it?
Started at:
Arrived at:
(blocks or miles)
EXAMPLE:
West Park Theater
2:00 p.m.
2:55 p.m.
To see a movie
walk, bus, walk
6 miles 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.

4. And obtains trips from one address to another by all modes…

5. Linkage between people,
NHTS Core Data Content
Households
Persons
Geography
Vehicles
Trips
Major Contribution
Linkage between people,
travel and vehicles

6. 2008 NHTS provides trends over 40 years of core content…

7. New 2008 NHTS Content Congestion Safety Energy and Environment
Interstate use and tolling
Telecommuting – opportunity and frequency
Work arrival time and flexibility
Safety
Safe Travel to School
Travel impacts of disability
Energy and Environment
Shopping by Internet and deliveries to the household
Hybrid/Alternative fuel vehicles
Fuel costs by vehicle type and travel behavior
Intermodalism
Access, egress, and travel party size
Frequency of walk and bike
Motorcycle ownership and use

8. 2008 NHTS Travel Data for 150,000 Households
The NHTS Program
National Study
Serves the department, congress, and administration
Resource for State and metropolitan areas (MPOs) and transportation community
40 years of trend data on U.S. travel behavior
Sample size of 25,000 households
Add-On Program
Service to States and MPOs since 1990
Allows States and MPOs to purchase additional samples for their local area
Program participation has doubled every survey year
(Sample size of 125,000 households for 2008)
2008 NHTS Travel Data for 150,000 Households

9. 2008 Add-On Program 125,000 Add-On Samples Vermont DOT
South Dakota DOT
Wisconsin DOT
New York State DOT
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa DOT
Omaha, Nebraska
Indiana DOT
California DOT
Virginia DOT
Tennessee DOT
North Carolina DOT
Piedmont Region
Maricopa, AZ
South Carolina DOT
Pima, AZ
Georgia DOT
Texas DOT
Florida DOT

10. 2008 NHTS Schedule April 2009 - Data collection completed
June Final unweighted data for QA
August Add-On GIS files
August 2009 – Draft final weighted file for QA
October 2009 – Final weighted data and documentation
Add-Ons receive final data
January 2009 – Public use data set
On-line analysis tool available for 2008
March 2009 – Final full documentation and users guide

11. How can NHTS help you?

12. Identifying Trends in Demand
Huge growth in travel since 1969, however demand (number of trips) has leveled off over the past decade
Base: NHTS data series, travelers 16+

13. Understanding Mode Use
Purpose Distribution of Transit Trips
Source: 2001 NHTS

14. For interpreting and using JTW looking at mode loyalty:

15. Measure how access impacts behavior…
Source: NHTS series since 1969

16. Quantify the link between demographics and mobility
This is the daily range of travel for a high income African American
This is the daily range of travel for a low-income African American

17. And demographics and safety…
Base: NHTS data on driver miles by age and FARS fatalities

18. See how the transportation system works together
Source: 2001 NHTS

19. And when and why people drive
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Start Hour
Person Trips in Millions
Commute
Fam/Pers (inc. Shop)
School/Ch
Soc/Rec

20. To look at changes in the fleet mix…
Hybrid/Alternative Fuel Vehicles by State
Source: NHTS 2008 preliminary

21. And forecast future demand
Estimated on current VMT/person from NHTS and Census population forecast

22. How other areas use the NHTS…

23. Safety Planning - California
Pedestrian Fatalities per Mile of Exposure
I will now highlight some current and future uses of NHTS at the state level.
Source: 2001 FARS pedestrian Fatalities and NHTS 2001 miles walked

24. Model Calibration - Wisconsin
HBW Observed Vs Predicted Trip Length Frequency
NHTS is a vital component in validating home based work trip length distributions by time of day. Typically model based distributions are modeled against NHTS based observed distributions. Note that NHTS provides HBW, NHB, HBO.
Source: 2001 NHTS Bruce Aunet, WI DOT & Cambridge Systematics Inc.

25. Vehicle Starts, Trip Lengths by Time of Day and Vehicle Utilization
Air Quality - New York
Vehicle Starts, Trip Lengths by Time of Day and Vehicle Utilization
New York uses NHTS data by examining cold starts and hot starts by time of day to estimate Carbon Monoxide and Heavy Metals emissions.
New York used NHTS in a variety of ways. Some uses are:
Metropolitan Level Analysis reports
Compare metro areas in New York.
Comparison Studies
Are New York State residents different from those elsewhere with respect to personal mobility?
To what extend do the travel patterns of New York State residents skew the overall patterns in the state?
Do New York State residents outside of New York City travel differently from the rest of the nation?
Source: 2001 NHTS

26. Trip Length Distribution
Performance Measures - Virginia
Mode
Trip Length Distribution
Trips by time of day
Source: 2001 NHTS

27. Special Studies - Florida
Hurricane Evacuation Planning
Weekend and Holiday Travel Planning
Event Planning
Seasonal Resident Impact

28. NHTS Products State Profiles Policy Briefs Trends Database
Transferability
On-line Analysis Tool
Risk Assessment Tool
AAA Traffic Safety Foundation
NHTS
Trends
CD-ROM

29. Accessing NHTS Products
Contact Heather Contrino, FHWA
State Profiles
Policy Briefs:
Trends Database: To be posted soon
Transferable data for trip generation
Risk Assessment Tool:
On-line Analysis Tool:
SAS Data Set:

30. Thank You!
Heather Contrino

31. Future Program Goals Methods Periodicity Relevant Content
Coverage and Response Rates
Cellular phones and non-contacts
Periodicity
Real time reporting environment
Continuous study design/annual reporting
Relevant Content
Establishing regular, reliable performance measures
Maintaining trends while addressing new policy and planning questions