Growth in motor vehicle ownership and use: evidence from the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey

Abstract

The size, composition, and use of the nation's household vehicle fleet are subjects of major interest to analysts and policymakers concerned with the economic motivations and environmental consequences of travel. The 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), together with similar surveys conducted in 1969, 1977, 1983, and 1990, reveals important insights into the changing patterns of household motor vehicle ownership and use, as well as the underlying behavior that produces them. This paper uses information from the NPTS to address three related subjects: 1) growth in personal motor vehicle travel and its sources; 2) changes in the number, types, and age distribution of household motor vehicles; and 3) the determinants of households' vehicle utilization patterns and demands for private motor vehicle travel. The results presented can be useful to transportation professionals seeking to understand the patterns and determinants of motor vehicle travel, as well as to planners and policymakers in their efforts to design and implement strategies that reduce the environmental consequences of growing motor vehicle use.