VMT levels are lower in communities that are more walkable and compact and in communities that have strong public transportation systems. As a result, local traffic might be underestimated in some states that have high levels of through-traffic related to longer trips. Only 4,000 automatic traffic recorders on public roadways throughout all 50 states collect the data, and traffic is recorded primarily on major highways and roads (U.S. Although the data set is robust, it is not without some limitations. FHWA uses the term Federal-Aid Urban Area to distinguish the adjusted urban area boundaries allowed for transportation purposes from those designated by the Census Bureau. The Federal Highway Administration reports total VMT as an annual average for states and daily average for Federal-Aid Urbanized Areas (FAUA). These include the interaction of newly implemented land use policies, active transportation infrastructure and encouragement, economic factors, and other strategies to reduce car-dependence. This decline might reflect a large variety of factors. In 2012, total VMT reached the lowest level since 1996 (State Smart Transportation Initiative, 2013). A study in Atlanta, Georgia found that each additional hour per day spent in a car was associated with a 6% increase in a person’s risk for obesity (Frank et al, 2004). Higher VMT also equates to increased sedentary time. How much depends on the types of vehicles on the road (Johnson, 2006). Integrate health and transportation planningĭecreasing annual VMT per capita can directly improve air quality and the overall health of a population.Expand bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.Encourage and promote biking and walking.Built environment strategies to deter crime.An urbanized area is defined as an area with 50,000 persons that at a minimum encompasses the land area delineated as the urbanized area by the U.S. These data are calculated as the total daily miles of vehicle travel in an urbanized area divided by the total population. Data on VMT for urbanized areas are available from the FHWA Highway Statistics Series. The reports are based on individual state reports on traffic data counts collected through permanent automatic traffic recorders on public roadways. Data for this indicator come from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 2011 Highway Statistics. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita is calculated as the total annual miles of vehicle travel divided by the total population in a state or in an urbanized area.
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