Effects of Driver and Vehicle Characteristics on Annual Vehicle Kilometers of Travel in Jordan

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of the driver and vehicle characteristics on the vehicle kilometers of travel (VKT) in Jordan. The study used a survey form based on the multiple-choice type of questions that was distributed to a total of 1265 Drivers randomly selected for different vehicle types and from all major regions in the country. The study has covered the major driver characteristics (gender, age, education, occupation, family income, family size, and family auto ownership) and vehicle characteristics (type, age, engine size, registration, and use). The different categories of all driver and vehicle factors had significantly different values of VKT. The highest VKT values were associated with males, age of 40-49 years old, education of less than high school, occupation of a driver, monthly family income of less than JD 250 (USD 352.5), family size of more than or equal to eight, no family auto ownership, trucks and buses, new vehicles (<5 years old), high engine size (>4000 cc), and transit and cargo vehicles. No significant differences were found between different regions in the country, and the total VKT for Jordan based on different vehicle types and vehicle registration statistics in 2011 was estimated to be around 24 billion kilometers per year.