State of Transportation Statistics
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
- Extensive data are available on local passenger travel and most long-distance freight movement, but data gaps exist for long-distance travel, domestic movement of international trade, and local freight movement.
- Cost data are available for most forms of passenger travel but are limited for freight movement, and the contributions of transportation to the economy have not adequately been quantified and are poorly articulated.
- Substantial data are available on crashes related to transportation, but the availability of data on causation of safety problems varies by mode of transportation, and the integration of data on motor vehicle crashes, the conditions surrounding each crash, and consequences of the crash remains elusive.
- “Big data” and other alternative data sources may offer ways to update and improve the detail of traditional statistics, but research is needed to determine the reliability and validity of statistics from these sources, to establish institutional arrangements for access to large proprietary databases, and to integrate these new data sources with traditional forms of data and analysis to provide effective information for decision makers. Real-time data may offer ways to validate traditional statistics.
- BTS strives to create increasingly robust, credible statistics that support evidence-based decision making that are useful and used throughout the Nation.