DOT Releases Overview of Transportation in the U.S.

Contact DOT 42-97 Carolee Bush Media 202-366-6946 Joanne Sedor Technical 202-366-8959

Friday, April 4, 1997 -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today released a report that presents an overview of the nation s transportation system.

"This report provides a snapshot of the U.S. transportation system, the safest and most efficient in the world, and it examines the critical importance of transportation to the economy," Slater said.

Entitled Transportation in the United States: A Review, and based on data from the department s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the report highlights the physical characteristics of the transportation system and explores key trends in passenger travel and safety, freight movement, the energy and environmental impacts of transportation, and how the public spends its transportation dollars.

BTS Director Dr. T. R. Lakshmanan said, "Americans spend an average of 19 percent of their income on transportation-related expenditures. Transportation represents nearly 11 percent of our gross domestic product, moves more than 12 billion tons of goods annually, and supports 17,200 passenger miles per person per year. This report explains what such large numbers mean for American households and businesses."

The report is available in both printed and electronic forms. To order printed copies, call (202) 366-DATA, or fax (202) 366-3640, or write the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 3430, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. The electronic version of the report is available on the Bureau's Internet site at http://www.bts.gov .