Summary

This edition of the Transportation Statistics Annual Report presents selected transportation data on 13 topics specified in the legislative mandate of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). The data are presented in Chapter 2. They are summarized here, under four headings: Mobility and Access to Transportation, Safety and Security, Global Connectivity, and Energy and Environment. In most cases, the data cover the 10 most recent years for which data are available. The Summary has references to tables in Chapter 2 that identify data sources. An appendix table provides context information on U.S. population, labor force, and economic conditions—variables that influence traveling behavior and goods movements (1 of the 13 topics).

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) also requires RITA’s BTS to make recommendations for improving transportation statistical information and to document methods used to obtain and ensure the quality of the report’s statistics. These two subjects are discussed in Chapter 3. The focus for improvements is on data gaps, including gaps that may arise because of suspension of several data collection efforts. The chapter also discusses methodological guidelines that apply to federal data quality; documentation on specific data accompanies each table in Chapter 2.