Next Generation of Travel Behavior: Potential Impacts Related to Household Use of Information and Communication Technology

Transportation behavior appears to have shifted in recent years. Between the 2001 and 2009 National Household Travel Surveys, the average annual vehicle miles traveled for all age brackets fell. This reduction in driving is likely to be related to a number of factors, one of which may be the rapid introduction and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) over this period. This paper builds a framework that analyzes the extent to which recent studies and reports have been able to establish a link between the use of new technologies and changes in transportation behavior. The paper also attempts to establish whether there is a difference in the intensity and manner of technology use between age cohorts and in the manner in which technology use affects transportation behavior. Finally, the paper assesses major gaps in the current understanding of how ICTs may affect travel behavior.