1990 NPTS [Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey] Databook, Volumes I and II

Hu, Patricia S.; Young, Jennifer; Gray, Christopher (graphics) · 1994 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration

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Summary

This document presents the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) Databook, a comprehensive statistical report prepared by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee for the Federal Highway Administration. The primary objective is to provide detailed data on the amount, nature, and characteristics of personal, non-commercial travel in the United States. The survey serves as a critical tool for policymakers and transportation planners to analyze the relationships between social demographics, land development, and travel behavior. It supports the evaluation of transportation system reliability, the feasibility of alternative technologies, and the energy and air-quality impacts of various policies. The data were collected between March 1990 and March 1991 using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design. The target population included all persons aged five and older residing in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey utilized computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), which allowed for real-time data consistency checks. From 26,172 eligible households, 21,869 household interviews were completed, yielding an 84 percent response rate. Within these households, 47,499 personal interviews were conducted from 54,313 eligible residents, resulting in an 87 percent within-household response rate. Data collection focused on a designated "travel day" for daily trips and a two-week "travel period" to capture longer trips defined as 75 miles or more one way. Proxy interviews were permitted for individuals aged 14 and older who could not be contacted, accounting for approximately 17 percent of cases. The report is organized into two volumes covering ten chapters, including estimates of total travel, determinants of travel, person and vehicle trips, journey-to-work patterns, ride-sharing, long trips, commercial travel, and highway accidents. A key finding highlights a significant discrepancy in Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) estimates between the 1983 and 1990 NPTS surveys. NPTS data indicated a 50 percent increase in personal VMT between these years, whereas FHWA’s *Highway Statistics*, based on traffic counts, showed only a 33 percent increase. The authors attribute this divergence partly to the smaller sample size and less controlled implementation of the 1983 survey, which likely underestimated VMT. Additionally, the report notes limitations in transit data, where NPTS estimates of unlinked transit trips were 86.1 percent of Federal Transit Administration Section 15 reports. This undercount is attributed to memory recall biases and potential under-sampling of low-income households, as the telephone-based methodology excluded households without telephones. The significance of this databook lies in its provision of granular, nationally representative data on personal travel behavior, which is essential for calibrating travel demand models and assessing transportation policy impacts. By documenting methodological differences between survey years and comparing NPTS data with other federal statistics, the report provides a framework for understanding trends in vehicle ownership, trip generation, and mode choice. The findings underscore the importance of rigorous survey design and data editing procedures, such as CATI, in ensuring data quality. The report also highlights the evolving nature of American travel, including changes in household composition and vehicle usage, offering a baseline for future transportation planning and research.

Key finding

The 1990 NPTS estimated personal vehicle miles of travel at 1.6 billion, representing 87 percent of the Federal Highway Administration's traffic count estimates.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 21869

Provenance

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• exposure measurement

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource