| 1 | |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1-Hour Value | Hourly average concentrations measured by monitoring equipment and reported to AQS. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Max | The four highest values of a pollutant in terms of parts per million as measured by AQS air monitors during a reference period (usually 24 hours, a quarter, or a year). The 1st Max is the highest value, the 2nd Max is the second highest value, and so on. When comparing values for 3- and 8-hour values (which are both moving averages), maximum periods cannot overlap (i.e. include the same 1-hour value in the moving average). ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| 2 | |
| Term | Definition |
| 24-Hour Value | The average daily concentration of a pollutant in parts per million, computed by AQS software for each day as an average of 1-hour values. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| 3 | |
| Term | Definition |
| 3-Hour Value | Computed by AQS software for each hour of the day as a moving average of three 1-hour values. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| 8 | |
| Term | Definition |
| 8-Hour Value | Computed by AQS software for each hour of the day as a moving average of eight 1-hour values. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| A | |
| Term | Definition |
| ADA | Americans With Disabilities Act ( National Transit Database ) |
| AIRS Parameter Occurrence Code | An arbitrary code that distinguishes among monitors for the same pollutant at the same site. Also known as an AQS parameter occurance code. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| AIRS Site Code | An arbitrary code that identifies a particular monitoring site within a county. Also known as an AQS site code. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| AM Peak | The period in the morning when additional services are provided to handle higher passenger volumes. The period begins when normal scheduled headways are reduced and ends when headways return to normal. ( National Transit Database ) |
| AQS | Air Quality System. This database provides air monitoring data - ambient concentrations of criteria air pollutants at monitoring sites, primarily in cities and towns. This data is used to create AIRSdata reports. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Accident | An occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a public road which results in one of the following: a fatality; bodily injury to a person, who as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the ac ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Accident Type | Categorizes pre-crash and crash circumstances (e.g., head-on collision, rear-end collision, sideswipe). ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Accident/Incident | The term used to describe the entire list of reportable events. These include: fatalities, injuries, and illnesses; collisions, derailments, and similar accidents involving the operation of on-track equipment causing reportable damage above an established threshold; and impacts between railroad on-track equipment and highway users at crossings. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Activity | Persons age 16 and over were asked to classify themselves by their main activity, i.e., working full or part time, a homemaker, in the armed forces, going to school, or retired. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Actual Departure And Arrival Times | The time an aircraft becomes airborne upon departure or touches down upon arrival. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Actual Passenger Car Hours | The hours that passenger cars travel while in revenue service (actual passenger car revenue hours) plus deadhead hours. Actual passenger car hours include layover/recovery time but exclude hours for charter services, school bus service, operator training and maintenance testing. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Passenger Car Miles | The miles that passenger cars travel while in revenue service (actual passenger revenue miles) plus deadhead miles. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Passenger Car Revenue Hours | The hours that passenger cars travel while in revenue service. Passenger car revenue hours include layover/recovery time but exclude deadhead, training operators prior to revenue service and road tests, as well as school bus and charter services. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Passenger Car Revenue Miles | The miles that passenger cars travel while in revenue service. Passenger car revenue miles exclude deadhead, training operators prior to revenue service and road tests, as well as school bus and charter services. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Train Miles | The miles in which trains travel while in revenue service (actual train revenue miles) plus deadhead miles. Actual train miles exclude miles for charter services, school bus service, operator training and maintenance testing. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Vehicle Hours | The hours that vehicles travel while in revenue service (actual vehicle revenue hours) plus deadhead hours. Actual vehicle hours exclude hours for charter services, school bus service, operating training and maintenance testing. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Vehicle Miles | The miles that vehicles travel while in revenue service (actual vehicle revenue miles) plus deadhead miles. Actual vehicle miles exclude miles for charter services, school bus service, operator training and maintenance testing. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Vehicle Revenue Hours | The hours that vehicles travel while in revenue service. Vehicle revenue hours include layover/recovery time but exclude deadhead, training operators prior to revenue service and road tests, as well as school bus and charter services. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Actual Vehicle Revenue Miles | The miles that vehicles travel while in revenue service. Vehicle revenue miles exclude deadhead, training operators prior to revenue service and road tests, as well as school bus and charter services. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Aggravated Assault | An unlawful attack by 1 person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Air | Air service for shipments that typically weigh more than 100 pounds using commercial or private aircraft. Includes air freight and air express. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Air Freight | Property, other than express and passenger baggage transported by air. ( Air Carrier Statistics, Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Air Quality Standards | The maximum legal ambient concentration of a criteria air pollutant as established by the Clean Air Act. The standards are framed in terms of different summary measures for each pollutant. Data for the relevant summary measures are available for each pollutant. Measurements are in terms of parts per million by volume and micrograms per cubic meter of air. See also Exceedence and Criteria Air Pollutant. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Air Taxi | An aircraft operator who conducts operations for hire or compensation in accordance with 14 CFR 135 (for safety purposes) or FAR Part 135 (for economic regulations/reporting purposes) in an aircraft with 30 or fewer passenger seats and a payload capacity of 7,500 pounds or less. An air taxi operates on an on-demand basis. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Air Temperature | The ambient temperature indicated by a thermometer exposed to the air but sheltered from direct solar radiation. ( Recreational Boating Accident Reporting Database ) |
| Air Traffic Liabilities | The value of transportation sold but not used or refunded; i.e., (1) liabilities to passengers, or (2) liabilities to others. These include payables to other airlines for portions of interairline passenger trips - amounts the ticketing carrier owes the performing carrier. Also included are amounts the ticketing carrier owes to passengers prior to flights - which remain unearned revenue until air transportation is provided. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Air Trip | Any trip in which the type of transportation used to cover most of the miles on that trip was either by commercial airplane or a personal or corporate airplane. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Aircraft And Traffic Servicing Expenses | Compensation of ground personnel, in-flight expenses for handling and protecting all non-passenger traffic including passenger baggage, and other expenses incurred on the ground to (1) protect and control the in-flight movement of the aircraft, (2) schedule and prepare aircraft operational crew for flight assignment, (3) handle and service aircraft while in line operation, and (4) service and handle traffic on the ground after issuance of documents establishing the air carrier's responsibility to provide air transportation. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Aircraft Configuration | An arrangement of passengers and/or cargo. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| The type of payload an aircraft was designed to carry: passenger, cargo, or both. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) | |
| Aircraft Days Assigned | The number of days that aircraft owned or acquired through rental or lease (but not inter-change) are in the possession of the reporting air carrier and are available for service on the reporting carrier's routes plus the number of days such aircraft are in service on routes of others under interchange agreements. Includes days in overhaul, or temporarily out of service due to schedulecancellations. Excludes days that newly acquired aircraft are on hand but not available or formally withdrawn from air transport service. ( Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Aircraft Hours | The airborne hours of aircraft computed from the moment an aircraft leaves the ground until it touches the ground at the end of a flight stage. ( Air Carrier Statistics, Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Aircraft Operating Expenses | Expenses incurred directly in the in-flight operation of aircraft. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Aircraft Registration Number | An identification number issued by the FAA that includes all aircraft owned by individuals, businesses and government in the United States. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Airframe Cycles | The number of take off and landings for structural components of an airplane, such as: fuselage, empennage, wings, landing gear and engine mounts, but excluding such items as: engines, accessories, electronics, and other parts that may be replaced from time to time. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Airframe Hours | The number of hours flown by an airframe in its lifetime. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Airport Code | A three character alpha-numeric code issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation which is the official designation of the airport. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B), Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Airport Elevation | The highest point on an airport's usable runways expressed in feet above mean sea level. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Alcohol Involvement | NHTSA defines a fatal crash as alcohol-related or alcohol-involved if either a driver or a non-motorist (usually a pedestrian) had a measurable or estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 grams per deciliter (g/dl) or above. NHTSA defines a nonfatal crash as alcohol-related or alcohol-involved if police indicate on the police accident report that there is evidence of alcohol present. The code does not necessarily mean that a driver or non-occupant was tested for alcohol. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| NHTSA defines a fatal crash as alcohol-related or alcohol-involved if either a driver or a nonmotorist (usually a pedestrian) had a measurable or estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 grams per deciliter (g/dl) or above. NHTSA defines a nonfatal crash as alcohol-related or alcohol-involved if police indicate on the police accident report that there is evidence of alcohol present. The code does not necessarily mean that a driver or non-occupant was tested for alcohol. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Allision | A striking or collision of a moving vessel against a stationary object. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Altimeter | An instrument used to measure the altitude, or elevation above sea level. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Amtrak | Operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation of Washington, DC. This rail system was created by President Nixon in 1970, and was given the responsibility for the operation of intercity, as distinct from suburban, passenger trains between points designated by the Secretary of Transportation. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Angled Collision | Collisions which are not head-on, rear-end, rear-to-rear, or sideswipe. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Annual Mean | The average yearly concentration of a pollutant, computed by AQS software from 24-hour values. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Arrival Delay | Arrival delay equals the difference of the actual arrival time minus the scheduled arrival time. A flight is considered on-time when it arrives less than 15 minutes after its published arrival time. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Arson | To unlawfully and intentionally damage, or attempt to damage, any real or personal property by fire or incendiary device. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Assets | Current Assets include cash, accounts receivable, notes receivable. Long-term assets include net carrier operating property. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Automated Guideway | A transit mode that is an electric railway of guided transit vehicles operating without vehicle operators or other crew aboard the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Available Seat Miles | The aircraft miles flown in each inter-airport segment multiplied by the number of seats available for revenue passenger use on that segment. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Average Annual Daily Traffic | The average daily volume of traffic on a yearly basis. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Average Lifetime Mileage Per Active Vehicle | The average miles accumulated on a vehicle since date of manufacture. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Average Miles Per Shipment | The 1993 CFS excluded shipments of STCC 27, Printed Matter, from calculation of average miles per shipment. This was done after determining that respondents in the 1993 CFS shipping newspapers, magazines, catalogs, etc., had used widely varying definitions of the term shipment. In the 1997 CFS, numerous efforts were made during data collection and editing to produce consistent results from establishments shipping SCTG 29, Printed Products. As a result, average miles per shipment for printed products is included in calculations for the 1997 CFS. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| B | |
| Term | Definition |
| BFR | Biennial Flight Review; a test for pilots required by Federal Aviation Administration. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Barrel | A unit of volume equal to 42 U.S. gallons at 60 Degrees Fahrenheit. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Blood Alcohol Concentration | Is measured as a percentage by weight of alcohol in the blood (grams/deciliter). A positive BAC level (0.01 g/dl and higher) indicates that alcohol was consumed by the person tested. A BAC level of 0.10 g/dl or more indicates that the person was intoxicated. ( Recreational Boating Accident Reporting Database ) |
| The BAC is measured as a percentage by weight of alcohol in the blood (grams/deciliter). A positive BAC level (0.01 g/dl and higher) indicates that alcohol was consumed by the person tested. A BAC level of 0.10 g/dl or more indicates that the person was intoxicated. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Body Type | A numerical code used to identify a type of automobile (e.g. station wagon, pick-up truck, convertible). These codes may vary depending on the year that the data was collected. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Detailed type of motor vehicle within a vehicle type. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Bow | The front of a vessel. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Bulk Cargo | Cargo that is not in packages or containers; shipped loose in the hold of a ship without mark and count. Grain, coal and sulfur are usually bulk freight. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Bulk Carrier Vessel | A vessel designed to accommodate bulk cargo. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Bureau of Economic Analysis U.S. Regions | An area database showing U.S. counties aggregated into economic analysis regions as defined by the BEA. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Burglary | The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. This includes offenses known locally as burglary (any degree), unlawful entry with intent to commit a larceny or felony, breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny, housebreaking, safe cracking and all attempts at these offenses. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Bus | A transit mode comprised of rubber tired passenger vehicles operating on fixed routes and schedules over roadways. Vehicles are powered by diesel, gasoline, battery or alternative fuel engines contained within the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Large motor vehicles used to carry more than ten passengers, including school buses, inter-city buses, and transit buses. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Business Trip | Any trip which the main purpose of the trip is given as business, combined business and pleasure or convention. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| C | |
| Term | Definition |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| CHRIS | Chemical Hazards Response Information System ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| CNG | Compressed Natural Gas; Natural gas which is comprised primarily of methane, compressed to a pressure at or above 2,400 pounds per square inch and stored in special high-pressure containers. It is used as a fuel for natural gas powered vehicles. ( National Transit Database ) |
| CO Emissions | Carbon Monoxide Emissions, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that is formed when carbon in fuel is not burned completely. It is a component of motor vehicle exhaust, which contributes about 56 percent of all CO emissions nationwide. Other non-road engines and vehicles (such as construction equipment and boats) contribute about 22 percent of all CO emissions nationwide. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| Cabin Crew | Includes flight attendants, air stewards/stewardesses, air hosts/hostesses, or any other professional people who work in passenger cabins. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Cable Car | A transit mode that is an electric railway with individually controlled transit vehicles attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location not on board the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Caboose | A car in a freight train intended to provide transportation for crew members. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Cancelled Flight | A flight that was listed in a carrier's computer reservation system during the seven calendar days prior to scheduled departure but was not operated. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Capital Funds | Funds allocated for capital expenses, or those expenses related to the purchase of equipment. Equipment means an article of non-expendable tangible personal property having a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost which equals the lesser of a) the capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes or b) $5,000. Some capital funds may also be used toward operating expenses in certain circumstances. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Capital Labor | The employees engaged in the purchase of equipment. Equipment means an article of non-expendable tangible personal property having a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost which equals the lesser of a) the capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes or b) $5,000. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Capsize | Overturning of a vessel. The bottom must be uppermost, except on the case of a sailboat, which lies on its side. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Carrier Code | An alpha-numeric code issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation which is the official designation of an air carrier. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Carrier ID | Carrier Identification Number. The unique number assigned to a motor carrier by the U.S. Department of Commerce or the state. The number can be a USDOT number or an ICC MC number. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Case Number | This variable is a unique number assigned to each crash. It appears in each GES data table and is used to merge the various information together. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Casualty | A reportable death, injury, or illness arising from the operation of a railroad. Casualties may be classified as either fatal or nonfatal. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Includes any accidental grounding, or any occurrence involving a vessel which results in damage by or to the vessel, its apparel, gear, or cargo, or injury or loss of life of any person; and includes among other things, collisions, strandings, groundings, founderings, heavy weather damage, fires, explosions, failure of gear and equipment and any other damage which might affect or impair the seaworthiness of the vessel. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) | |
| Catamaran | A vessel with twin hulls and usually a deck or superstructure connecting the hulls. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Cathodic Protection | A type of protection that protects from external corrosion. A current is set up around the pipeline to reverse the flow of electrons and thus inhibit corrosion. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Caulk | Material used to stop up and make tight against leakage the joints of a pipe. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Causal Event | The main reason, condition, or action that resulted in the reported casualty. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Causal Party | The main group of people or the vessel that took actions resulting in the reported casualty. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Census Division | Groupings of states that are subdivisions of the four census regions. There are nine divisions, which the Census Bureau adopted in 1910 for the presentation of data. ( American Travel Survey, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Census Region | Groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. There are four regions -- Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each of the four divisions is divided into two or more census divisions. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. There are four regions -- Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each of the four regions is divided into two or more census divisions. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Certificate Of Public Convenience And Necessity | A certificate issued to an air carrier under 49 U.S.C. 41102, by the Department of Transportation authorizing the carrier to engage in air transportation. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data, Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Certificated Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by DOT to conduct scheduled services interstate. Nonscheduled or charter operations may also be conducted by these carriers. (same as Certified Air Carrier) ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Certified Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by DOT to conduct scheduled services interstate. Nonscheduled or charter operations may also be conducted by these carriers. (same as Certificated Air Carrier) ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | The highest total weight of goods, packing, passengers, and aircraft that is safe to operate. The certified maximum gross weight is established for a certain type of aircraft by the aircraft manufacturer. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Channel Depth | The perpendicular measurement from the water surface to the floor of waterway that is used as an access lane to a port or other waterway. Information on wave activity, tides, currents, and ship traffic are used to estimate channel depth. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Charter Flight | A commercial passenger vehicle trip not scheduled, but specially arranged. The charter contract normally commits the carrier to furnish the agreed to transportation service at a specified time between designated locations. ( Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Charter Service | A vehicle hired for exclusive use that does not operate over a regular route, on a regular schedule and is not available to the general public. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Chime | Edge or rim of drum or stave of storage tank. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| City Code | A three character alpha-numeric code issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation to designate the city where the origin or destination airport is located. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B), Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Class I Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of $10 million or more after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Class II Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of at least $3 million but less than $10 million after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Class III Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of less than $3 million after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Classification Of Commodity | Classification of commodity spilled: Petroleum, Petroleum product HVL (Highly Volatile liquid), Petroleum product Non-HVL (Non-Highly Volatile liquid). ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Codeshare | An arrangement whereby a marketing carrier's code is used to identify a flight operated by another carrier. The marketing carrier may make reservations and issue tickets for the operating carrier's flights. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Collectors | In rural areas, routes serving intra-county, rather than statewide travel. In urban areas, streets providing direct access to neighborhoods as well as direct access to arterials. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Collision | A collision is defined as an impact between on-track equipment while both are on rails and where one is operating under train movement rules or is subject to the protection afforded to trains. This definition includes instances where equipment occupying a siding is fouling the main line and is struck by an approaching train. It does not include impacts occurring while switching within yards, as in making up or breaking up trains, shifting or setting out cars, etc. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Combination Truck | A truck tractor not pulling a trailer; a tractor pulling at least one full or semi-trailer; or a single-unit truck pulling at least one trailer. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Commercial Operator | A person who, for compensation or hire, engages in the carriage by aircraft in air commerce of persons or property, other than as an air carrier or foreign air carrier or under the authority of 14CFR375. Where it is doubtful that an operation is for compensation or hire, the test applied is whether the carriage by air is merely incidental to the person's other business or is, in itself, a major enterprise for profit. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Commodity | An article of commerce, delivered for shipment. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Products that an establishment produces, sells, or distributes. This does not include items that are considered as excess or byproducts of the establishment's operation. For the Commodity Flow Survey, respondents reported the description and the five-digit Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG) code for the major commodity contained in the shipment, defined as the commodity with the greatest weight in the total shipment. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS), Commodity Flow Survey ) | |
| Products that an establishment produces, sells, or distributes. This does not include items that are considered as excess or byproducts of the establishment's operation. Respondents reported the description and the five-digit SCTG code for the major commodity contained in the shipment, defined as the commodity with the greatest weight in the total shipment. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) | |
| Common Carrier | A business or agency that is available to the public for transportation of persons, goods, or messages. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Commuter Air Carrier | An air carrier carrying passengers for hire or compensation using small aircraft (30 seats or smaller) under FAR Part 135 performing at least 5 scheduled roundtrips per week. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Commuter Rail | Urban passenger train service for short distance travel between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Does not include heavy rail or light rail service. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Commuter Rail Purchased Transportation | A transit mode that is an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local short distance travel operating between a central city and adjacent suburbs. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Commuter Trip | See Journey-to-Work. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Compensation of Employees | The sum of employee wages and salaries and supplements to wages and salaries.Wages and salaries are measured on an accrual, or when earned basis, which may be different from the measure of wages and salaries measured on a disbursement, or when paid basis. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Completed Departures | Takeoffs made at an airport. (same as Departures Performed) ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Consignee | The person to whom or organization to which a shipment is sent. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| The person to whom or organization to which the shipment was sent. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) | |
| Consist | Makeup or composition of a railroad train by classes or types and arrangement. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) | A CMSA is a metropolitan complex of I million or more population, containing two or more component parts designated as primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| If an MSA has a population of 1 million or more and meets requirements specified in the standards, it is termed a CMSA, consisting of two or more major components, each of which is recognized as a primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA) | If an MSA has a population of 1 million or more and meets requirements specified in the standards, it is termed a CMSA, consisting of two or more major components, each of which is recognized as a primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA). ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings ) |
| Construction/Maintenance Zone | An area, usually marked by signs, barricades, or other devices indicating that highway construction or highway maintenance activities are ongoing. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES), Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Container | A large, standard-sized metal box into which cargo is packed for shipment. Containers may be designed for use on one or more the following vehicles: railcar flatbeds, truck flatbeds, or waterborne vessels. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| A truck trailer body that can be detached from the chassis for loading into a vessel, a rail car or stacked in a container depot. Containers may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid or equipped with interior devices. A container may be 20 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet or 53 feet in length, 8'0 or 8'6 in width, and 8'6 or 9'6 in height. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) | |
| Containership | A vessel designed to accommodate containers. A container is a truck trailer body that can be detached from the chassis for loading into a vessel, a rail car or stacked in a container depot. Containers may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid or equipped with interior devices. A container may be 20 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet or 53 feet in length, 8'0 or 8'6 in width, and 8'6 or 9'6 in height. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Contract Carrier | For Hire interstate operators [which] offer transportation services to certain shippers under contracts. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Contributing Cause | Actions or events other than the primary event that resulted in the accident/incident. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Controlled Access Rights-of-Way | Lanes restricted for at least a portion of the day for use by transit vehicles and other high occupancy vehicles (HOV's). Use of controlled access lanes may also be permitted for vehicles preparing to turn. The restriction must be sufficiently enforced so that 95 percent of the vehicles using the lanes during the restricted period are authorized to use them. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Conventional Area | Any area that does not require the sale of reformulated gasoline is a Conventional Area. All types of finished Motor gasoline may be sold in a Conventional Area. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Corrective Action Attempted | Describes the actions taken by the driver of this vehicle in response to impending danger. Because this variable focuses on the actions taken immediately prior to the first harmful event it is coded independently from any maneuvers associated with the accident type. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Coupon | A piece of paper or series of papers indicating the itinerary of a passenger. An airline ticket includes an auditor's coupon, flight coupons, and a passenger receipt. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Crash | An event that produces injury and/or property damage, involves a motor vehicle in transport, and occurs on a trafficway or while the vehicle is still in motion after running off the trafficway. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Crash Avoidance Maneuver | See Corrective Action Attempted. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Crash Type | Single-vehicle or multiple-vehicle crash. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Criteria Air Pollutants | The Clean Air Act of 1970 defined six criteria pollutants and established ambient concentration limits to protect public health: Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Lead (Pb). ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Critical Event | Indicates the event which made the crash imminent (i.e., something that occurred that made the crash possible). ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Cross Traffic | Other vehicles share the right-of-way at at-grade crossings only. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Current Dollars | The value of goods or services measured at the current prices. Not adjusted for inflation. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Customs District | A territorial division for Customs Bureau administration. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Cyclist | A person on a vehicle that is powered solely by pedals. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| D | |
| Term | Definition |
| DRM | Directional Route Miles; The mileage in each direction over which public transportation vehicles travel while in revenue service. It is computed with regard to direction but without regard to the number of traffic lanes or rail tracks existing in the row. ( National Transit Database ) |
| DUI | Driving Under the Influence; The driving or operating of any vehicle or common carrier while drunk or under the influence of liquor or narcotics. ( National Transit Database ) |
| DWI | Driving While Intoxicated ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Driving while intoxicated, or driving while impaired. General term used to describe the criminal action of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, impaired or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Damaged Stability | The international maritime standard requiring passenger ships to subdivide the ship into watertight compartments such that after assumed damage to the ship's hull the vessel will remain afloat and stable. This standard is defined in Chapter II of SOLAS, the international convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Day | From 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Deadweight Tonnage | The lifting capacity of a ship expressed in long tons (2,240 lbs.), including cargo, commodities, and crew. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Dedicated Taxes | Any taxes raised specifically for transit purposes and which are dedicated at their source, rather than through an appropriation of general funds. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Deep Draft Vessel | A barge, ship, or ferry operating primarily in the open ocean. (Shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway is classified with shallow draft vessels.) ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Demand Response | A transit mode comprised of passenger cars, vans, or class C buses operating in response to calls from passengers or their agents to the transit operator, who then dispatches a vehicle to pick up the passengers and transport them to their destinations. The vehicles do not operate over a fixed route or on fixed schedules. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Departure Delay | The difference between the scheduled departure time and the actual departure time from the origin airport gate. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Departures Performed | Takeoffs made at an airport. (same as Completed Departures) ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Departures Scheduled | Takeoffs scheduled at an airport, as set forth in published schedules. (same as Scheduled Departures) ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Derailment | A derailment occurs when on-track equipment leaves the rail for a reason other than a collision, explosion, highway-rail crossing impact, etc. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| A non-collision incident which occurs as a result of rolling equipment leaving the rail, or buses leaving the roadway, and for roll overs. Report all incidents regardless of severity. ( National Transit Database ) | |
| Destination | For travel period trips, the destination is the farthest point of travel from the point of origin of a trip of 75 miles or more one-way. For travel day trips, the destination is the point at which there is a break in travel. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Destination Of Trip | The place reported by a respondent as the destination of the trip. If more than one place is visited on the same trip, the place which is the farthest point from the origin is considered the destination of the trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Destination State FIPS | The FIPS code for the destination state. (see FIPS) ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Directly Operated | Transportation service provided directly by a transit agency, using their employees to supply the necessary labor to operate the revenue vehicles. This includes instances where an agency's employees provide purchased transportation services to the agency through a contractual agreement. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Displacement Tonnage | The weight, in tons of 2,240 pounds, of the vessel and its contents. Calculated by dividing the volume of water displaced in cubic feet by 35, the average density of sea water. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Distance Shipped | The distance between origin and destination for a shipment. For the distance shipped intervals table, the distance is calculated based on the great circle distance between the origin and destination ZIP Code centroids. All other distance-related data (i.e., ton-miles and average miles per shipment) are based on the mileage calculations produced by Oak Ridge National Laboratories. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Diverted Flight | A flight that is required to land at a destination other than the original scheduled destination for reasons beyond the control of the pilot/company. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Domestic Operations | All air carrier operations having destinations within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Doubled Bottom | A maritime vessel hull contruction technique which protects the bottom of a ship with an additional outer layer along the bottom of the ship, usually several feet away from the internal hull. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Doubled Hull | A maritime vessel hull contruction technique using an additional outer layer along the entire hull of the ship, usually several feet away from the internal hull. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Driver | A person who operates a motorized vehicle. If more than one person drives on a single trip, the person who drives the most miles is classified as the principal driver. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| An occupant of a vehicle who is in physical control of a motor vehicle in transport, or for an out-of-control vehicle, an occupant who was in control until control was lost. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Driver Distracted | Indicates distracting events which may have influenced driver performance and contributed to the cause of the crash. Distractions can be both inside and outside the car. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Dun & Bradstreet Number | A unique nine-digit sequence issued by Dun & Bradstreet and used for identifying and keeping track of over 70 million businesses worldwide. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Duration Of Trip | Number of nights spent away from home on a trip and includes nights spent at the destination, nights spent en route and nights spent on side trips. It is possible for a trip not to involve an overnight stay from home; a traveler could take a trip of 100 miles or more and return on the same day. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| E | |
| Term | Definition |
| ELT | Emergency Locator Transmitter. A radio transmitter attached to the aircraft structure which operates from its own power source on 121.5 MHz and 243.0 MHz. It aids in locating downed aircraft by radiating a downward sweeping audio tone, 2-4 times per second. It is designed to function without human action after an accident. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| EMS | Emergency Medical Services ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| East North Central Division | Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin ( American Travel Survey ) |
| East South Central Division | Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Education Level | The number of years of regular schooling completed in graded public, private, or parochial schools, or in colleges, universities, or professional schools, whether day school or night school. Regular schooling advances a person toward an elementary or high school diploma, or a college, university or professional school degree. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Educational Attainment | The highest grade of school completed as of the date of the first interview determines the educational category of the traveler or household head. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Ejection | Refers to a vehicle occupant being totally or partially thrown from the vehicle as a result of an impact or rollover. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Refers to occupants being totally or partially thrown from the vehicle as a result of an impact or rollover. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) | |
| Elevated-On-Fill | Rail transit way above surface level fill. Transition segments above surface level on fill are included. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Elevated-On-Structure | Rail transit way above surface level on structure. Transition segments above surface level on structures are included. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Emergency Contigency Vehicles | Revenue vehicles placed in an inactive contingency fleet for energy or other local emergencies after the revenue vehicles have reached the end of their normal minimum useful life. The vehicles must be properly stored and maintained, and FTA must approve the Emergency Contingency Plan. Substantial changes to the plan (10% change in fleet) require re-approval by FTA. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Employed | A person is considered employed if there is a definite arrangement for regular full-time or part-time work for pay every week or every month. A formal, definite arrangement with one or more employers to work a specified number of hours a week, or days a month, but on an irregular schedule during the work month is also considered employment. A person who is on call to work whenever there is a need for his (her) services is not considered employed. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Employment | Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month, except for Federal Government employment, which represents the number of persons who occupied positions on the last day of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings ) |
| Empty Combination Weight | The weight of the truck excluding cargo and passengers. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Endorsement | An authorization to an individual's commercial driver's license (CDL) required to permit the individual to operate certain types of commercial motor vehicles. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Establishment | The physical location of a certain economic activity. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Ethanol | Otherwise known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, or grain-spirit. A clear, colorless, flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon with a boiling point of 78.5 degrees Celsius in the anhydrous state. In transportation, ethanol is used as a vehicle fuel by itself (E100), blended with gasoline (E85), or as a gasoline octane enhancer and oxygenate (10% concentration). ( National Transit Database ) |
| Event Chain | The series of events that preceded an incident and shows the actions that resulted in that incident. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Excavator | The party, if any, that caused the pipeline leak by digging near the pipeline. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Exceedence | When the concentration of a pollutant exceeds the EPA air quality standard. See also Number Exceed. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Exclusive Rights-Of-Way | Roadways or other right-of-way reserved at all times for transit use and/or other high occupancy vehicles. The restriction must be sufficiently enforced so that 95 percent of vehicles using the right-of-way are authorized to use it. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Expense Transfer | Accounts used for reporting adjustments and reclassifications of expenses previously recorded. Expense transfers include: reclassifications of expenses from one function to another; a composite category of expense encompassing labor; fringe benefits; materials and services used in the transit agency�s internal information system to reclassify costs between cost centers and work orders, and a credit account to be used for adjusting entries transferring expenses to receivables, property or work in process for capital projects. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Express Freight | Property, other than passenger baggage transported by air, with a premium paid over standard freight charges for more rapid delivery. ( Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Extrication | Indicates if any people involved in the accident were extricated, or removed with assistance, from a vehicle. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Removal of a person trapped in an automobile. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| F | |
| Term | Definition |
| FAA IIC | Federal Aviation Administration Investigator-In-Charge. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| FF Operation | Denotes whether fixed fire (FF) detection and suppression systems were operational at time of event. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| FICA | Federal Insurance Contributions Act. ( National Transit Database ) |
| FIPS | Federal Information Processing Standards. Usually referring to a code assigned to any of a variety of geographic entities (e.g. counties, states, metropolitan areas, etc). FIPS codes are intended to simplify the collection, processing, and dissemination of data and resources of the Federal Government. ( Air Carrier Statistics, Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance Data, Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B), Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses, American Travel Survey, Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| FRA Designated Region | The FRA classifies the 48 continental states, Alaska, and the District of Columbia into 8 regions. For example, region 1 includes New England and some northeastern states and region 8 includes the Pacific Northwest. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| FRA Joinkey | An alpha-numeric code used to identify an accident/incident. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| FWPCA | Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Family | Includes householder and all relatives who are currently members of the household. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Family Income | The total combined income for the previous 12 months of the householder and all persons related to the householder by blood, marriage, or adoption who were living in the household as of the date of the first interview. Family income includes income from all sources, such as wages and salaries, net income from own business or own farm, social security, pensions, dividends, interest, rent and any other money income. The income of household members not related to the householder is not included in family income. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Far Part | A section of the Federal Aviation Regulations. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Fare Evasion | The unlawful use of transit facilities by riding without paying the applicable fare. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Fare Revenues | Revenues collected by the required payment for a ride on a public transportation vehicle. It may be paid by any acceptable means, for example, cash, token, ticket, transfer, farecard, voucher, or pass or user fee. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Fatal Crash | A police-reported crash involving a motor vehicle in transport on a trafficway in which at least one person dies within 30 days of the crash. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Fatality | An event resulting in death of one or more persons. If death occurs subsequent to the filing of the monthly report, then the injury or illness must be reclassified as fatal. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) | Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes are assigned for a variety of geographic entities, including states. The objective of the FIPS codes is to improve the use of data resources of the Federal Government and avoid unnecessary duplication and incompatibilities in the collection, processing, and dissemination of data. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Federal Information Processing Standards. Usually referring to a code assigned to any of a variety of geographic entities (e.g. counties, states, metropolitan areas, etc). FIPS codes are intended to simplify the collection, processing, and dissemination of data and resources of the Federal Government. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Census Population Estimates, Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances, Vehicle Registration Data ) | |
| Federal Information Processing Standards(FIPS) | Federal Information Processing Standards. Usually referring to a code assigned to any of a variety of geographic entities (e.g. counties, states, metropolitan areas, etc). FIPS codes are intended to simplify the collection, processing, and dissemination of data and resources of the Federal Government. ( Census Population Estimates ) |
| Ferry | Vessel used to carry passengers and/or vehicles over a body of water. Generally ferries are steam or diesel-powered. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Ferryboat | A transit mode comprised of vessels carrying passengers and/or vehicles over a body of water, and that are generally steam or diesel powered. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Fiche Number | A number assigned to a Microfilm record. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| First Harmful Event | The first event during a crash that caused injury or property damage. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Fixed Object | Stationary structures or substantial vegetation attached to the terrain. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Flag of Registry | The nation to which a ship is registered and which holds legal jurisdiction over the operation of that ship. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Flight Crew | Any pilots, flight engineers, and flight navigators assigned to duty in an aircraft during flight time. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Flight Equipment | All types of property and equipment used in the in-flight operation of aircraft. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Flight Number | A one to four character alpha-numeric code for a particular flight. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Flooding | Filling with water, regardless of method of ingress, but retaining sufficient buoyancy to remain on the surface. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Flying Operations Expenses | Expenses incurred directly in the in-flight operation of aircraft and expenses related to the holding of aircraft and aircraft operational personnel in readiness for assignment for an in-flight status. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| For-Hire Truck | Trucks that carry freight for a fee collected from the shipper, recipient of the shipment, or an arranger of the transportation. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Foreign Trade Zone | A free port in a country divorced from Customs authority but under government control. Merchandise, except that which is prohibited, may be stored in the zone without being subject to import duty regulations. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Forfeited Vessel | A ship that was lost by the owner due to some error, offense, or crime. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Form 41 Financial Statistics | The statistics collected on the financial forms submitted monthly, quarterly, semiannually, and annually to BTS by each large certificated air carrier subject to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. The four classes of financial and operating statistics collected on individual schedules of the Form 41 Report are grouped as follows: (A) Certification, (B) Balance Sheet Elements, (P) Profit and Loss Elements, and (T) Traffic and Capacity Elements. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Form 41 Report | The schedule of forms submitted monthly, quarterly, semiannually, and annually to BTS by each large certificated air carrier subject to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Form M | Class I and II motor carriers are required to annually submit financial, operating, and employment data to Bureau of Transportation Statistics using Form M. Also known as the Motor Carrier Annual Report Form M. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Form QFR | Class I motor carriers are required to submit financial and operating data to Bureau of Transportation Statistics each quarter using Form QFR. Also known as the Motor Carrier Quarterly Report Form QFR. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Formulation | Type of gasoline. Formulations include conventional, oxygenated, and reformulated gasoline. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Freeways and Expressways | All urban principal arterial with limited control of access not on the interstate system. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Freight Tariffs | The revenue earned from carrying all types of freight on runs whose primary purpose is passenger operations. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Full Time | Employees of the transit agency meeting the local definition of full time hours. Normally, these persons are entitled to receive the full benefits package (e.g., sick leave, vacation and insurance benefits). ( National Transit Database ) |
| Functional System | A category used to classify a roadway in terms of its location (rural or urban), use (e.g., local, arterial, expressway), size (minor or major), and federal status (National Highway System). ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| G | |
| Term | Definition |
| GIS | Geographical Information Systems ( National Ferry Database ) |
| GSA | General Services Administration ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System, Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Galvanic | Something which produces a direct electrical current. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Gateway | In international travel, the port where customs clearance takes place. ( Airline Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Grade | The classification of gasoline by octane ratings. Each type of gasoline (conventional, oxygenated, and reformulated) is classified by three grades - Regular, Midgrade, and Premium. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Grade Crossings | An intersection of highway roads, railroad tracks, or dedicated transit rail tracks that run either parallel or across mixed traffic situations with motor vehicles, light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail, trolleybus or pedestrian traffic. Collisions at grade crossings involving transit vehicles apply only to light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail or trolleybus. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Great Circle Distance | The shortest distance between two points on the earth's surface. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Great Lakes | A single mode specially created in ORNL's transportation network for the Commodity Flow Survey for mileage calculations which involve transportation via the Great Lakes between the origin and destination ZIP Codes (see the Mileage Calculations section for more details). ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Gross Domestic Product | Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the most commonly used comprehensive measure of the nation's economic activity. It is the market value of the goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States. GDP replaced Gross National Product (GNP). ( Gross State Product ) |
| Gross Registered Tonnage | See Gross Tonnage. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Gross Tonnage | The internal cubic capacity of all permanently enclosed spaces in and on a vessel, with the exception of certain permissible exemptions. In mathematical terms, it is equal to (0.2+0.02 log10V) where V is the vessel volume in cubic meters. It is expressed in tons of 100 cubic feet. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| The weight of all cars, passengers, and freight on a train, exluding the power units (i.e., locomotives). ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) | |
| Gross Tons | The gross tonnage of a vessel is the internal cubic capacity of all spaces in and on the vessel which is permanently enclosed, with the exception of certain permissible exemptions. It is expressed in tons of 100 cubic feet. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) | The maximum rated capacity of a vehicle, including the weight of the base vehicle, all added equipment, driver and passengers, and all cargo loaded into or on the vehicle. Actual weight may be less than or greater than GVWR. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Ground Crew | The mechanics and technicians who maintain and service aircraft. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Group Quarters | Communal housing, such as dormitories, military bases, prisons and nursing homes. Group quarters are distinct from households. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| H | |
| Term | Definition |
| Harmful Event | Event causing injury or damage. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Hazardous Cargo | A substance or material which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated temperature materials as defined in this section, materials designated as hazardous under the provisions of 49 CFR 172.101 and 172.102, and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in 49 CFR 173. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Hazardous Material | A substance or material which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated temperature materials as defined in this section, materials designated as hazardous under the provisions of 49 CFR 172.101 and 172.102, and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in 49 CFR 173. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Hazmat | Hazardous Material; A substance or material which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated temperature materials as defined in this section, materials designated as hazardous under the provisions of 49 CFR 172.101 and 172.102, and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in 49 CFR 173. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Hazardous material (Hazmat) is a substance or material, including a hazardous substance, which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) | |
| Head-on Collision | Refers to a collision where the front end of one vehicle collides with the front end of another vehicle while the two vehicles are traveling in opposite directions. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Heavy Rail | A transit mode that is an electric railway with the capability for a heavy volume of traffic. It is characterized by high speed and rapid acceleration passenger cars operating singly or in multi-car trains on fixed rails; separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded; sophisticated signaling, and high platform loading. ( National Transit Database ) |
| An electric railway with the capacity for a heavy volume of traffic and characterized by exclusive rights-of-way, multi-car trains, high speed and rapid acceleration, sophisticated signaling, and high platform loading. ( National Ferry Database ) | |
| High Occupancy Vehicle | Vehicles that can carry two or more persons. Examples of high occupancy vehicles are a bus, vanpool, and carpool. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Highway Advisory Radio | A radio broadcast system used to communicate traffic information to traveling public through the vehicle radio. The highway advisory radio frequency is generally provided to motorists on a roadside sign. The broadcast message may include information about driving hazards, detours, hazardous driving conditions, delays, and motor vehicle laws. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Highway-Rail Crossing Accident/Incident | An impact between on-track railroad equipment and a highway user (e.g., an automobile, bus, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, farm vehicle, pedestrian or other highway user) at a designated crossing site. Sidewalks, pathways, shoulders and ditches associated with the crossing are considered to be part of the crossing site. The term highway user includes pedestrians, cyclists, and all other modes of surface transportation. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Highway-Rail Grade Crossing | A location where a public highway, road, street, or private roadway, including associated sidewalks and pathways, crosses one or more railroad tracks at grade. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Hispanic Origin | Referring to any person whose primary ethnic ancestry is of primarily Spanish-speaking countries. Hispanic origin includes Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Hit and Run | A hit-and-run occurs when a motor vehicle in transport, or its driver, departs from the scene after being involved in a crash prior to police arrival on the scene. Fleeing pedestrians and motor vehicles not in transport are excluded from the definition. It does not matter whether the hit-and-run vehicle was striking or struck. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Hit-and-Run | A hit-and-run occurs when a motor vehicle in transport, or its driver, departs from the scene after being involved in a crash prior to police arrival on the scene. Fleeing pedestrians and motor vehicles not in transport are excluded from the definition. It does not matter whether the hit-and-run vehicle was striking or struck. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Hot-Deck | A method of imputation whereby values of variables for good records in the current (hot) survey file are used to impute for blank values of incomplete records. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Hours Driving | Refers to the number of hours elapsed from the time the truck driver began driving until the time of the incident. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Household | A group of persons whose usual place of residence is a specific housing unit; these persons may or may not be related to each other. The total of all U.S. households represents the total civilian non-institutionalized population. Does not include group quarters (i.e., 10 or more persons living together, none of whom are related). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| The basic sampling and reporting unit for collecting travel and other information in the American Travel Survey. A household consists of all persons who occupy a housing unit such as a house, apartment, or rooms that form separate living quarters. ( American Travel Survey ) | |
| Household Composition | One of any classifications regarding the relationship of household members to each other and the presence or absence of children. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Household Income | The money income of all family members in a household, including those temporarily absent. Annual income is asked for the 12 months preceding the interview. Includes income from all sources, such as wages and salary, commissions, tips, cash bonuses, income from a business or farm, pensions, dividends, interest, unemployment or work men's compensation, social security, veterans' payments, rent received from owned property (minus the operating costs), public assistance payments, regular gifts of money from friends or relatives not living in the household, alimony, child support, and other kinds of periodic money income other than earnings. Excludes in-kind income such as room and board, insurance payments, lump-sum inheritances, occasional gifts of money from persons not living in the same household, withdrawal of savings from banks, tax refunds, and the proceeds of the sale of one's house, car or other personal property. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Members | All people, whether present or temporarily absent, whose usual place of residence is in the sample unit. Includes people staying in the sample unit who have no other usual place of residence elsewhere. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Trip | One or more household members traveling together. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Type | A classification taking into account the number of household members and their relationship to each other. Household types include family households and non-family households. Family households include married-couple households, female householders, and male householders with and without children in selected age groups. Non-family households include male and female householders living alone or not living alone. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Household Vehicle | A motorized vehicle that is owned, leased, rented or company owned and available to be used regularly by household members during the travel period. Includes vehicles used solely for business purposes or business-owned vehicles if kept at home and used for the home to work trip, (e.g., taxicabs, police cars, etc.) which may be owned by, or assigned to, household members for their regular use. Includes all vehicles that were owned or available for use by members of the household during the travel period even though a vehicle may have been sold before the interview. Excludes vehicles that were not working and not expected to be working within 60 days, and vehicles that were purchased or received after the designated travel day. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Hull Identification Number | A unique twelve-digit identification number assigned to a vessel under subpart C of 33 CFR part 181. ( Recreational Boating Accident Reporting Database ) |
| Hydrofoil | A motorboat that has metal plates or fins attached by struts fore and aft for lifting the hull clear of the water as speed is attained. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| I | |
| Term | Definition |
| ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| ICC | Interstate Commerce Commission ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Census File ) |
| ITC | International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships (ITC) is a set of standarized methods used to measure the size, weight, and capacity of waterborne vessels. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Ice Strengthened | Refers to any ship with a hull build to withstand a colder climate and to sustain some contact with ice without damage. Also known as ice-classed. Ice strengthened ships are not necessarily strong enough to be used as ice-breaking ships, which are classed separately. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Imputed | For each crash, some details may be unknown or improperly documented. This term is used to denote that "unknown" data have been replaced with an estimated value through statistical imputation. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| In-Flight Time | The total time an aircraft is in the air between an origin-destination airport pair, i.e. from wheels-off at the origin airport to wheels-down at the destination airport. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| In-Vehicle Signing | A system that provides in-vehicle displays of non-commercial routing, warning, regulatory, and advisory information that is currently depicted on external roadway signs. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Incident Detection | A system that monitors vehicle traffic for non-recurrent causes of delay and congestion, such as vehicle crashes or roadway debris. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Inclined Plane | A transit mode that is a railway operating over exclusive right-of-way on steep grades with powerless vehicles propelled by moving cables attached to the vehicles and powered by engines or motors at a central location not on board the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Indirect Business Tax and Nontax Liability | Indirect business taxes and nontax liabilities (IBT) consist of tax liabilities, such as general sales and property taxes, that are chargeable to business expense in the calculation of profit-type incomes and of certain other non-tax liabilities to government agencies (except government enterprises) that are treated like taxes - regulatory and inspection fees, special assessments, fines and forfeitures, rents and royalties, and donations. IBT is the sum of State and Local IBT, which mainly comprise nonpersonal property taxes, licenses, nontax liabilities, and sales and gross receipts taxes, and Federal IBT, which comprises nontax liabilities and excise taxes on goods and services. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Industry | A group of establishments that produce similar products or provide similar services. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| A group of establishments that produce similar products or provide similar services. Establishments are classified in an industry on the basis of their principal product or activity in accordance with the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification Manual. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings ) | |
| Initial Impact | The first impact that produced property damage or personal injury, regardless of First or Most Harmful Event. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Initial Impact Point | The first impact point that produced personal injury or property damage, regardless of First or Most Harmful Event. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Injury | Harm to a person resulting from a single event, activity, occurrence, or exposure of short duration. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Injury Crash | A police-reported crash that involves a motor vehicle in transport on a trafficway in which no one died but at least one person was reported to have: (1) an incapacitating injury; (2) a visible but not incapacitating injury; (3) a possible, not visible injury; or (4) an injury of unknown severity. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Injury Severity | The police-reported injury severity of the person (i.e., occupant, pedestrian, or pedalcyclist). ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Intact Stability | The international maritime standards for the stability of passenger and cargo ships. Stability is the force that holds a ship upright or returns it to an upright position if keeled over. This standard is defined in Chapter II of SOLAS, the international convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Integer | Any of the natural (or whole) numbers. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| Intercity | Transportation between two cities. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Intermodal Container | A freight container designed and constructed to permit it to be used interchangeably in two or more modes of transport. ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Census File ) |
| Interstate | A divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and grade separations at major intersections. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Connecting between two or more states. ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Census File, National Ferry Database ) | |
| Interstate Highway | A divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and grade separations at major intersections. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Interstate Highway, Freeway, or Expressway | A divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and grade separations at major intersections. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Interstates | Limited access divided facilities of at least four lanes designated by the Federal Highway Administration as part of the Interstate System. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Intrastate | Connecting within a state. ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Census File, National Ferry Database ) |
| J | |
| Term | Definition |
| Jackknife | Jackknife can occur at any time during the crash sequence and is restricted to truck tractors pulling a trailing unit in which the trailing unit and the pulling vehicle rotate with respect to each other. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Jackknife can occur at any time during the crash sequence. In this report, jackknifing is restricted to truck tractors pulling a trailing unit in which the trailing unit and the pulling vehicle rotate with respect to each other. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) | |
| When two sections of a truck turn and form an angle of 90 degrees or less with each other during a crash. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) | |
| Jitney | A transit mode comprised of passenger cars or vans operating on fixed routes (sometimes with minor deviations) as demand warrants without fixed schedules or fixed stops. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Journey-to-Work (JTW) | The one-way trip from home to work, or a commuter trip. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Julian [Date] | The date according to the Julian Day Number system, in which days are counted from the beginning of the year through 365 or 366. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Junction | Area formed by the connection of two roadways, including intersections, interchange areas and entrance/exit ramps. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Area formed by the connection of two roadways, including intersections, interchange areas, and entrance/exit ramps. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| K | |
| Term | Definition |
| Keel | The chief structural member of a boat or ship that extends longitudinally along the center of its bottom. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Knot | The unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile, or 6,080.20 feet per hour. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| L | |
| Term | Definition |
| LNG | Liquefied Natural Gas; Natural gas or synthetic gas having methane as its major constituent which has been changed to a liquid or semisolid. ( National Transit Database ) |
| LRS | Linear Reference System; a set of procedures for determining and retaining a record of specific points along a highway. Typical methods used are milepoint, milepost, reference point, and link-node. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Land Use | The crash location (urban or rural). ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Lane Feet Of Vehicle Deck | The vehicle capacity of a ro-ro vessel. Measured by multiplying the length in feet of the vehicle platform by the width of the platform in terms of the number of vehicles it can accommodate. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Lane Mile | The length of a roadway or roadway system multiplied by the number of lanes that are open to traffic. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Larceny/Theft | The unlawful taking, carrying, leading or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. This includes pocket picking, purse snatching, shoplifting, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of motor vehicle parts and accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from buildings, theft from coin operated devices or machines, and all other theft not specifically classified. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Large Certificated Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a certificate issued under 49 U.S.C.41102, as amended, that: (1) Operates aircraft designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats or a maximum payload capacity of more than 18,000 pounds; or (2) conducts operations where one or both terminals of a flight stage are outside the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (same as Large Certified U.S. Air Carriers) ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Large Certified U.S. Air Carriers | An air carrier holding a certificate issued under 49 U.S.C.41102, as amended, that: (1) Operates aircraft designed to have a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats or a maximum payload capacity of more than 18,000 pounds; or (2) conducts operations where one or both terminals of a flight stage are outside the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (same as Large Certificated Air Carrier) ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Large Trucks | Trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, including single unit trucks and truck tractors. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Late Flight | A flight arriving or departing 15 minutes or more after the scheduled time. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Liabilities | Current liabilities include accounts payable, notes payable, taxes payable, and current portion of long-term debt. Long-term liabilities include long-term debt. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| License Endorsement | An authorization to an individual's commercial driver's license (CDL) required to permit the individual to operate certain types of commercial motor vehicles. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| License Restrictions | Motor carrier drivers may be restricted from operating certain vehicles. For example, if a driver either fails the air brake component of the general knowledge test or performs the skills test in a vehicle not equipped with air brakes, the driver is issued an air brake restriction, restricting the driver from operating a CMV equipped with air brakes. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Licensed Driver | Any person who holds a valid driver's license from any state. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, Licensed Drivers ) |
| Lift Axles | The number of power unit lift axles, which are axles that can be deactivated and lifted such that the wheels no longer touch the roadway. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Light Rail | A transit mode that typically is an electric railway with a light volume traffic capacity compared to heavy rail. It is characterized by passenger rail cars operating singly (or in short, usually 2 car trains) on fixed rails in shared orexclusive right-of-way; low or high platform loading; and vehicle power drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley or a pantograph. ( National Transit Database ) |
| An electric railway with a light volume traffic capacity compared to heavy rail. Light rail may use shared or exclusive rights-of-way, high or low platform loading, and multi-car trains or single cars. Also known as Streetcar, Troller car, and Tramway. ( National Ferry Database ) | |
| Light Trucks | Trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or less, including pickups, vans, truck-based station wagons, and utility vehicles. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Lloyd's Register | An independent, non-profit company based in London that provides classification services and insurance for merchant vessels among many other services. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Local Roads | Those roads and streets whose principal function is to provide direct access to abutting land. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Local Streets and Roads | Streets whose primary purpose is feeding higher order systems, providing direct access with little or no through traffic. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Localized Pitting | An area of pipeline scarred with small indentations. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Locomotive | A locomotive is a piece of on-track equipment, with one or more propelling motors designed for moving other equipment, with one or more propelling motors designed to carry freight or passenger traffic, or with one or more control stands. Head end, mid-train, and rear end refer to the location of the locomotive relative to the other components of the train. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Lodging | A temporary place to stay (e.g. motel, cabin, domitory, etc). ( American Travel Survey ) |
| M | |
| Term | Definition |
| MARPOL | The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. It is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| The international treaty regulating disposal of wastes generated by normal operation of vessels. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) | |
| MC | Marine Casualty case. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| MCS-150 | MCS-150 is a truck identification form collected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| MSIS | Marine Safety Information System database. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database, National Ferry Database ) |
| Maintenance Expense | All expenses, both direct and indirect, specifically identifiable with the repair and upkeep of property and equipment. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Manner of Collision | A classification for crashes in which the first harmful event was a collision between two motor vehicles in transport. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Marine Violation Case | A vessel or other waterway incident deemed an alleged violation of US Coast Guard safety and environmental regulations (e.g., an oil spill). The incident will be examined by a USCG hearing officer, and a penalty may be imposed for the alleged violation. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Market | A market is defined by the first departure airport on a ticket and the ultimate arrival airport. The market origin and destination airports differ from segment origin and destination airports in that there may be intermediate destinations and more than one plane may be used. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Marketing Carrier | An air carrier that issued a flight reservation or ticket under a codeshare agreement. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Maximum Operating Pressure | Maximum pressure permitted for normal pipeline operations, which is related to pipe's strength and ability to withstand internal pressure. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Means of Transportation | A mode used for going from one place (origin) to another (destination). Includes private and public modes, as well as walking. For all travel day trips, each change of mode constitutes a separate trip. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| A mode used for going from one place (origin) to another (destination). Includes private and public modes, as well as walking. For all travel day trips, each change of mode constitutes a separate trip. The following transportation modes, grouped by major mode, are included: ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Metal Fatigue | Weakened condition induced in metal parts of machines, vehicles, or structures by repeated stresses or loadings. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| Metar Weather Report | Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Metered Ramp | An access ramp leading to a major road (e.g., a highway) with a traffic signal that is used to regulate the rate at which vehicles enter the road. Metered ramps may be used to reduce congestion on major roads or to balance the speed of traffic on parallel roads so that traffic is more evenly distributed. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Methanol | A light, volatile alcohol (CH3OH) eligible for motor gasoline blending. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Metric Tons | 2,204.6 pounds or 1,000 kilograms. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Metropolitan Area | A large population nucleus, together with adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that nucleus. A metropolitan area (MA) may be defined around two or more nuclei. The MA is a statistical standard designated and defined by the Office of Management and Budget, following a set of official published standards. An MA comprises one or more counties except in New England where MAs are composed of cities and towns rather than whole counties. Classifications of MAs include metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) that is divided into primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA). ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Metropolitan Statistical Area | A relatively freestanding metropolitan area (MA) that is not closely associated with other MAs. These areas typically are surrounded by nonmetropolitan counties. A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) comprises one or more counties except in New England where MSAs are composed of cities and towns rather than whole counties. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| An MSA is a county or group of contiguous counties that contains at least one city with a population of 50,000 or more or a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 with a metropolitan population of at least 100,000. In addition to the county or counties that contain all or part of the main city or urbanized area, an MSA may contain other counties that are metropolitan in character and are economically and socially integrated with the main city. ( National Ferry Database, Census Transportation Planning Package ) | |
| Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) | An MSA is a county or group of contiguous counties that contains at least one city with a population of 50,000 or more or a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 with a metropolitan population of at least 100,000. In addition to the county or counties that contain all or part of the main city or urbanized area, an MSA may contain other counties that are metropolitan in character and are economically and socially integrated with the main city. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Mid Atlantic Division | New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Midday | The period between the end of the AM peak and the beginning of the PM peak. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Midgrade | Gasoline having an antiknock index, i.e., octane rating, greater than or equal to 88 and less than or equal to 90. Note: Octane requirements may vary by altitude. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Mile | A statute mile (5,280 feet). All mileage computations are based on statute miles. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Minor Arterial | Streets and highways linking cities and larger towns in rural areas in distributing trips to small geographic areas in urban areas (not penetrating identifiable neighborhoods). ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Minor Arterials | Streets and highways linking cities and larger towns in rural areas in distributing trips to small geographic areas in urban areas (not penetrating identifiable neighborhoods). ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Mode Of Transportation | The type of transportation used for moving a shipment to its domestic destination. For exports, the domestic destination is the port of exit. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Monitor Type | A code identifying the administrative classification of the monitor. This data is included for each pollutant. Values are: NAMS (National Air Monitoring Stations), SLAMS (State and Local Air Monitoring Stations), PAMS (Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations), PAMS/Unofficial (site certification pending), PAMS/NAMS (part of both NAMS and PAMS monitoring networks), PAMS/SLAMS (part of both SLAMS and PAMS monitoring networks), Index, Industrial, Tribal, Non-EPA Federal (operated by a Federal agency other than EPA), Other, Unknown and Not Available (no value provided). ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Monohull | A vessel with a single hull. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Monorail | A transit mode that is an electric railway of guided transit vehicles operating singly or in multi-car trains. The vehicles are suspended from or straddle a guideway formed by a single beam, rail or tube. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Most Harmful Event | The event during a crash for a particular vehicle that is judged to have produced the greatest personal injury or property damage. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification A | The operation classification for authorized for-hire trucks. Trucks in this classification provide transportation for compensation as a common or contract carrier of property, owned by others, or passengers under the provisions of the FMCSA. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification B | The operation classification for exempt for-hire trucks. These trucks provide transportation for compensation of property or passengers exempt from the economic regulations of FMCSA. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification C | The operation classification for private property trucks. These trucks provide transportation of property by commercial motor vehicle and are not for-hire motor carriers. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification D | The operation classification for business-owned private passenger trucks. This classification includes private motor carriers engaged in the interstate transportation of passenhers which is provided in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise and is not available to the public at large (e.g., bands). ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification E | The operation classification for non-business-owned private passenger trucks. This classification includes private motor carriers involved in the interstate transportation of passengers that does not otherwise meet the definition of a private motor carrier of passengers (e.g., church buses). ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification F | The operation classification for migrant trucks. This classification includes interstate transportation, including a contract carrier, but not a common carrier of 3 or more migrant workers to or from their empoyment by any motor vehicle other than a passenger automobile or station wagon. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification G | The operation classification for U.S. Mail trucks. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification H | The operation classification for U.S. Federal Government trucks. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification I | The operation classification for state government trucks. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification J | The operation classification for local government trucks. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification K | The operation classification for Indian tribe trucks. This classification includes trucks used to transport property or passengers by an Indian tribal government. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Carrier Classification L | The operation classification for other trucks not described by Motor Carrier Classifications A through K. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Motor Vehicle in Transport | A motor vehicle in motion on the trafficway or any other motor vehicle on the roadway, including stalled, disabled, or abandoned vehicles. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Motorcycle | A two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle designed to transport one or two people, including motorscooters, minibikes, and mopeds. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Motorized Vehicle | Includes all vehicles that are licensed for highway driving. Specifically excluded are snow mobiles, minibikes, etc. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Mountain Division | Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Multiple Modes | Parcel, U.S. Postal Service or courier shipments or shipments for which two or more of the following modes of transportation were used: private truck, for-hire truck, rail, shallow draft vessel, deep draft vessel, or pipeline. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| N | |
| Term | Definition |
| N/A | Not applicable. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| NAAQS | National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Maximum permitted quantities of certain pollutants in air, as per the regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| NH3 Emissions | Ammonia emissions, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| NOx Emissions | Nitrogen Oxide emissions, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. NOx is the generic term for a group of highly reactive gases, all of which contain nitrogen and oxygen in varying amounts. Many of the nitrogen oxides are colorless and odorless. Nitrogen oxides form when fuel is burned at high temperatures, as in a combustion process. The primary sources of NOx are motor vehicles, electric utilities, and other industrial, commercial, and residential sources that burn fuels. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| NRC | The National Response Center (NRC), a division of the U.S. Coast Guard, is the sole federal point of contact for reporting oil and chemical spills. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics, Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| National Highway System | The National Highway System is a network of nationally significant highways approved by Congress in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995. It includes the Interstate System and nearly 114,000 miles of arterial and other roads and connectors to major intermodal terminals. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| The system of highways designated and approved in accordance with the provisions of 23 U.S.C. 103b. The National Highway System consists of the Interstate System, some rural and urban principal arterial routes, and other roads that are important to the national strategic defense system. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) | |
| This system of highways designated and approved in accordance with the provisions of 23 U.S.C. 103b. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) | |
| National Park System | The National Park Service, a bureau of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, was established in 1916 to oversee the administration of 40 national parks and monuments under the charge of the department. The National Park System now comprises some 380 areas of scenic, historic, or scientific interest totaling more than 84 million acres (34 million hectares). The units are classified into natural, historical, recreational, and cultural groupings to facilitate park management and to identify areas by their prominent characteristics. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Nautical Mile | An international unit equal to 6076.115 feet. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Net Registered Tonnage | See Net Tonnage. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Net Tonnage | The remainder after deducting from the gross tonnage of the vessel the tonnage of crew spaces, master's accommodations, navigation spaces, allowance for propelling power, etc. It is equal to (0.2+0.02 log10(Vc)) Vc (4d/3D)2. For passenger ships the following formula is added: 1.25 (GT+10000)/10000 (N1+(N2/10)). Vc is the volume of cargo holds, D is the distance between ship's bottom and the uppermost deck, d is the draught N1 is the number of cabin passengers, and N2 is the number of deck passengers. It is expressed in tons of 100 cubic feet. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| New England Division | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Night | From 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Nights Away From Home | The number of nights spent away from home on one trip, including nights spent at the destination, on stops to and from the destination and on side trips away from the destination. Nights away from home are broken into categories including nights at the destination, nights at stops and side trips, and nights en route. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Non-Motorist | A pedestrian, cyclist, occupant of a vehicle not in transport, person riding a horse, occupant of an animal-drawn conveyance, person associated with a non-motorist conveyance (e.g., baby carriage, skateboard, wheelchair), or other non-motorist (e.g., person outside a trafficway, person in a house). ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Non-Revenue Traffic | Passengers and cargo transported by air for which no renumeration or token service charges are received by the air carrier. Airline employees, officers and directors, or other persons, except for ministers of religon, who are traveling under reduced rate transportation authorized by 49 U.S.C. 41511(a) and 14CFR part 223, as well as travel agents, cargo agents, and tour conductors traveling at reduced fares are also considered nonrevenue traffic. ( Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Non-Scheduled Service | Revenue flights, such as charter flights, that are not operated in regular scheduled service. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Non-motorist | Any person who is not an occupant of a motor vehicle in transport and includes the following: 1. Pedestrians 2. Pedalcyclists 3. Occupants of parked motor vehicles 4. Others such as joggers, skateboard riders, people riding on animals, and persons riding in animal-drawn conveyances. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Non-motorist Location | The location of non-motorists at time of impact. Intersection locations are coded only if non-motorists were struck in the area formed by a junction of two or more trafficways. Non-intersection location may include non-motorists struck on a junction of a driveway/alley access and a named trafficway. Non-motorists who are occupants of motor vehicles not in transport are coded with respect to the location of the vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Nonattainment Area | Areas of the country where air pollution levels persistently exceed the national ambient air quality standards. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Noncollision | A class of crash in which the first harmful event does not involve a collision with a fixed object, nonfixed object, or a motor vehicle. This includes overturn, fire/explosion, falls from a vehicle, and injuries in a vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Nonmotorist | Any person who is not an occupant of a motor vehicle in transport and includes the following: 1. Pedestrians 2. Pedalcyclists 3. Occupants of parked motor vehicles 4. Others such as joggers, skateboard riders, people riding on animals, and persons riding in animal-drawn conveyances. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Nonmotorist Location | The location of non-motorists at time of impact. Intersection locations are coded only if non-motorists were struck in the area formed by a junction of two or more trafficways. Non-intersection location may include non-motorists struck on a junction of a driveway/alley access and a named trafficway. Non-motorists who are occupants of motor vehicles not in transport are coded with respect to the location of the vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Nonoperating Income And Expense | Interest income and expense, unusual foreign exchange gains or losses, and capital gains or losses in disposition of property and equipment. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Number Exceed | The number of times the pollution concentration values exceeded the air quality standard for a criteria air pollutant during one year. For example, in the case of a 3-hour standard, the number of 3-hour values that were greater than the 3-hour standard during one year. Some pollutants have multiple air quality standards. See also Exceedence. ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Number Of Passenger Cars In Operation | The maximum number of passenger cars actually operated to provide service on an average weekday, average Saturday and average Sunday. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Number Of Trains In Operation | The maximum number of trains actually operated to provide service on an average weekday, average Saturday and average Sunday. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Number Of Vehicles In Operation | The maximum number of vehicles actually operated to provide service on an average weekday, average Saturday and average Sunday. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Number of Observations | Number of 1-hour values (observations) reported for the year. Uninterrupted monitoring would produce 8760 values per year (24 hours * 365 days). ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| O | |
| Term | Definition |
| O3 | Ozone ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| OAG | Official Airline Guide ( Aviation Support Tables ) |
| OMC | Office of Motor Carriers ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Census File ) |
| Objects Not Fixed | Objects that are movable or moving but are not motor vehicles. Includes pedestrians, pedalcyclists, animals, or trains (e.g., spilled cargo in roadway). ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Occupancy | The number of persons, including driver and passenger(s) in a vehicle. NPTS occupancy rates are generally calculated as person miles divided by vehicle miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Occupant | Any person who is in or upon a motor vehicle in transport. Includes the driver, passengers, and persons riding on the exterior of a motor vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Occupation | A set of activities or tasks that employees are paid to perform. Employees that perform essentially the same tasks are in the same occupation, whether or not they are in the same industry. Some occupations are concentrated in a few particular industries, other occupations are found in the majority of industries. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Occupational Class | Occupational categories such as executive, manegerial, administrative, sales, production, and farming. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Occupational Division | Ten groups of related industries as defined within the Standard Industrial Classification system. The divisions include broad categories such as services, retail trade, farming, and construction. BLS replaced the SIC system with the Standard Occupational Classification system in 1999. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Occupational Major Group | The groups of industries defined by 2- and 3-digit SIC levels. BLS replaced the SIC system with the Standard Occupational Classification system in 1999. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Octane Rating | A measure of a gasoline's resistance to ignite spontaneously under compression. Heptane and octane, two hydrocarbons, have a very low and high resistance to ignite, respectively. Gasolines are rated from 0 (resistance equal to heptane) to 100 (resistance equal to octane). ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Offshore | That geographic area that lies seaward of the coastline. In general, the coastline is the line of ordinary low water along with that portion of the coast that is in direct contact with the open sea or the line marking the seaward limit of inland water. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Open-Cut | Rail transit way below surface in an excavated cut that has not had a covering constructed over it. Transition segments to open cut or subway-tunnel/tube segments are included. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Operating Carrier | An air carrier engaged directly in the operation of aircraft in passenger air transportation. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Operating Expenditure | Expenses from wages and salaries, operating supplies, insurance expenses, and other miscellaneous expenses. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Operating Expenses | Expenses incurred in the performance of air transportation, based on overall operating revenues and overall operating expenses. Does not include nonoperating income and expenses, nonrecurring items, or income tax. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Operating Labor | The employees engaged in the operation of the transit system categorized by their functions described in the Uniform System of Accounts (USOA). ( National Transit Database ) |
| Operating Region | One of six regions used to describe the region where an air carrier operates: International (Atlantic, Pacific, and Latin America), System (all regions covered by an air carrier), Domestic (U.S.), Atlantic, Pacific, Latin America. For those carriers with international flights, the operating region is determined by where its flights leave and enter the U.S. (i.e. across the Atlantic, Pacific or Gulf/Mexico) ( Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Operating Revenue | Revenue from the transportation of property or passengers by motor carrier. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Operating Revenues | Revenues from the performance of air transportation and related incidental services. Includes (1) transport revenue from the carriage of all classes of traffic in scheduled and nonscheduled services, and (2) nontransport revenues consisting of Federal subsidy (where applicable) and revenues for services related to air transportation. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Origin | Starting point of a trip. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Origin State FIPS | The FIPS code for the origin state. (see FIPS) ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Other And Unknown Modes | Shipments for which modes were not reported, or were reported by the respondent as Other or Unknown. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Other Freeways and Expressways | All urban principal arterial with limited control of access not on the Interstate system. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Other General Cargo Vessel | A vessel designed to accommodate cargo. Excludes bulk carriers, containerships, passenger vessels, ro-ros, and tankers. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Other Modes | Airplane: Includes commercial airplanes and smaller planes that are available for use by the general public in exchange for a fare. Private planes and helicopters are included under other. Taxi: The use of a taxicab by a driver for hire or by a passenger for fare. Also includes airport limousines. Does not include rental cars if they are privately operated and not picking up passengers in return for fare. Bicycles: Includes bicycles of all speeds and sizes that do not have a motor. The U.S. national passenger railroad service providing intercity train service. Walk: Includes jogging, walking, etc., provided the origin and destination are not the same. School bus: Includes county school buses, private school buses, and buses chartered from private companies for the express purposes of carrying students to or from school and/or school-related activities. MOPED (Motorized Bicycle) : Includes motorized bicycles equipped with a small engine, typically 2 horsepower or less. Also includes minibikes such as dirt bikes and trail bikes. Note that a motorized bicycle may or may not be licensed for highway use. Other. Includes any types of transportation not listed above. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Other Multiple Modes | Shipments using any other mode combinations not specifically listed in the Commodity Flow Survey tables. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Other Principal Arterials | Major streets or highways, many with multi-lane or freeway design, serving high-volume traffic corridor movements that connect major generators of travel. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Other Transport-Related Revenue | Revenues from services such as in-flight sales, rentals and sales or services, supplies and parts. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Other Vehicle | Consists of the following types of vehicles: 1. Large limousine (more than four side doors or stretched chassis) 2. Three-wheel automobile or automobile derivative 3. Van-based motorhome 4. Light-truck-based motorhome (chassis mounted) 5. Large-truck-based motorhome 6. ATV (all terrain vehicle, including dune/swamp buggy) and ATC (all terrain cycle) 7. Snowmobile 8. Farm equipment other than trucks 9. Construction equipment other than trucks (includes graders) 10. Other type vehicle (includes go-cart, fork lift, city streetsweeper). ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Oxygenated Gasoline | Finished motor gasoline formulated with additional oxygen. Oxygenated fuels may reduce the amount of unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in exhaust. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| P | |
| Term | Definition |
| P.T. | Purchased transportation service. ( National Transit Database ) |
| PAR | Police Accident Report. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| PM Peak | The period in the afternoon or evening when additional services are provided to handle higher passenger volumes. The period begins when normal headways are reduced and ends when headways are returned to normal. ( National Transit Database ) |
| PM10 | Particulate matter of 10 Microns in diameter or smaller ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| PM10 Emissions | Particulate Matter (10 microns in diameter or smaller), one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. PM, is the term for particles found in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Particles can be suspended in the air for long periods of time. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke. Others are so small that individually they can only be detected with an electron microscope. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| PM2.5 Emissions | Particulate Matter (2.5 microns in diameter or smaller), one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. PM, is the term for particles found in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Particles can be suspended in the air for long periods of time. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke. Others are so small that individually they can only be detected with an electron microscope. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| PSIG | Pounds per Square Inch Guage (PSIG) is a unit of pressure. PSIG measurements exclude atmospheric pressure, which is 14.7 pounds per square inch. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| PSU | A Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) is a defined area of a large central city, a county surrounding a city, or a group of counties. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Primary Sampling Unit ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Pacific Division | Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Parcel Delivery/Courier/U.S. Postal Service | Delivery services, parcels, packages, and other small shipments that typically weigh less than 100 pounds. Includes bus parcel delivery service. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Park And Ride | An access mode to transit in which patrons drive private automobiles or ride bicycles to a transit station, stop, or carpool/vanpool waiting area and park the vehicle in the area provided for the purpose. They then ride the transit system or take a car-or vanpool to their destinations. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Passenger | Any occupant of a motor vehicle who is not a driver. ( Border Crossing Data, Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Any person on board a flight who is not a member of the flight or cabin crew. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) | |
| For a specific trip, any occupant of a motorized vehicle, other than the driver. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Passenger Car | Motor vehicles used primarily for carrying passengers, including convertibles, sedans, and station wagons. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Passenger Mile | One passenger transported one statute mile. Total passenger miles are computed by summation of the products of the aircraft miles flown on each inter-airport flight stage multiplied by the number of passengers carried on that flight stage. ( Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Passenger Miles | The cumulative sum of the distances ridden by each passenger. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Passenger Revenues | Revenues from the air transportation of passengers. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Passenger Service Expenses | Cost of activities contributing to the comfort, safety, and convenience of passengers while in flight or when flights are interrupted. Includes salaries and expenses of flight attendants and passenger food expenses. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Passenger Vessel | A vessel designed to accommodate primarily passengers. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Payload | Equal to the certificated takeoff weight of an aircraft, less the empty weight, less all justifiable aircraft equipment, and less the operating load (consisting of minimum fuel load, oil, flight crew, steward's supplies, etc). ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Pb | Lead ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Peak-period Trip | Any travel day trip that began between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. or from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Pedalcyclist | A person on a vehicle that is powered solely by pedals. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Pedestrian | Any person not in or upon a motor vehicle or other vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES), Border Crossing Data ) |
| Person Miles of Travel (PMT) | A measure of person travel. When one person travels one mile, one person mile of travel results. Where 2 or more persons travel together in the same vehicle, each person makes the same number of person miles as the vehicle miles. Therefore, four persons traveling 5 miles in the same vehicle, make 4 times 5 or 20 person miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Person Trip | A person trip is a trip by one or more persons in any mode of transportation. Each person is considered as making one person trip. For example, four persons traveling together in one auto make four person trips. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Person-Miles | An estimate of the aggregate distances traveled by all persons who took a trip and is based on the estimated transportation network miles traveled on the trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Person-Nights | The aggregate number of nights spent by all persons on a trip. For example, if two people took a trip that involved five nights away from home, a total of 10 person-nights would be counted for that trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Personal Floatation Device | Lifesaving device approved by the Commandant under 46 CFR 160 (i.e., life jackets). ( Recreational Boating Accident Reporting Database ) |
| Personal Use Vehicle Trip | Any trip in which the main type of transportation used to cover most of the miles on that trip was auto, pickup truck, van, other truck, rental car, truck or van, recreational vehicle, or motorcycle. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Personal Vehicles | Personal vehicles data includes pick-up trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, taxis, snow-mobiles, ambulances, hearses, and other motorized private ground vehicles. Light trucks and vans are included in the personal vehicles data if they are privately-owned and not used for commercial purposes. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Pilot Type-Rating | A rating assigned to a pilot under Title 14 of Code of Federal Regulations (14CFR) part 61. Under this rating system the pilot can be a certified private, commercial or airline transport pilot (ATP). A pilot could also have a combination or all of these ratings at the same time. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Pipe Coating | Material applied to the pipe to prevent corrosion. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Pipeline | Movements of oil, petroleum, gas, slurry, etc., through pipelines that extend to other establishments or locations beyond the shipper's establishment. Aqueducts for the movement of water are not included. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Placard | A diamond shaped plaque displayed on the exterior of a motor carrier to indicate the type of freight that is on board. Motor carriers are required by federal and state law to display the appropriate placards when carrying hazardous materials. ( Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Census File ) |
| Place | Defined by the Census Bureau as having a population of 2,500 or more. Cities, towns, and villages are all places. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Place of Residence | The location at which Census respondents said they lived at the time the Census was taken. Household and economic characteristics are summarized by residence location. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Place of Work | The location at which Census respondents said they worked. Worker characteristics summarized by work place location. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Pleasure Trip | Any trip where the purpose of the trip is given as to visit friends or relatives, rest or relaxation, school activities, sightseeing, entertainment, outdoor recreation, or shopping. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Police Jurisdiction | The territory within which a police organization has authority. In GES, the number (range 1-120) of the police jurisdiction from which the PAR was originally sampled. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Port [side] | Left side of ship when facing forward. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Port of Documentation | Hailing (origin) port of a vessel as recorded in US Coast Guard registration documents. Port name and state are marked on the vessel for easier identification. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Power Unit Type | The control and pulling vehicle for trailers or semitrailers. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Premium | Gasoline having an antiknock index, i.e., octane rating, greater than 90. Note: Octane requirements may vary by altitude. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Primary Cause | The first or main action or event that resulted in the accident/incident. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) | A component area of a consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA). Any metropolitan area having more than one million persons may be divided in to subareas called primary metropolitan statistical areas (PSMAs) based on criteria established by the Office of Management and Budget. PMSAs consist of a large urbanized county or cluster of counties that demonstrates very strong internal economic and social links, in addition to close ties to other portions of the larger area. In New England, PMSAs are composed of cities and towns rather than whole counties. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Principal Arterials | Major streets or highways, many with multi-lane or freeway design, serving high-volume traffic corridor movements that connect major generators of travel. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Principal Impact | The impact that is judged to have produced the greatest personal injury or property damage for a particular vehicle. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Principal Means Of Transportation | The means of transportation used for most of the distance from the origin to the destination. Respondents were asked to report separately the major type of transportation used for going and for returning on the trip. If a different means was used for going and returning, the major means of transportation was the mode used on the going trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Private Truck | Trucks operated by a temporary or permanent employee of an establishment or the buyer/receiver of the shipment. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Private Vehicle | Automobile: A privately owned and/or operated licensed motorized vehicle including cars, jeeps and station wagons. Also includes leased and rented cars if they are privately operated and not picking up passengers in return for fare. Van: Privately owned and/or operated vans and mini vans designed to carry from 5 to 13 passengers or to haul cargo.Pickup Truck: A motorized vehicle, privately owned and/or operated, with an enclosed cab that usually accommodates 2-3 passengers and an open cargo area in the rear. Pickup trucks usually have about the some wheelbase as a full-size station wagon.Other Truck: All trucks other than pickups, i.e., dump trucks, trailer trucks, etc.RV or Motor Home: Includes self-powered recreational vehicles that are operated as a unit without being towed by another vehicle (e.g., a Winnebago motor home).Motorcycle: Includes large, medium, and small motorcycles. Does not include minibikes, which cannot be licensed for highway use. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Promotion And Sales Expenses | Cost incurred in promoting the use of air transportation generally and creating a public preference for the services of particular air carriers. Includes the functions of selling, advertising, and publicity, space reservations, and developing tarrifs and flight schedules for publication. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Property-Damage-Only Crash | A police-reported crash involving a motor vehicle in transport on a trafficway in which no one involved in the crash suffered any injuries. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Property-Type Income | Property-type income comprises proprietors' income and other capital charges. Proprietors' income includes income of unincorporated establishments, rental income of persons, proprietors' inventory valuation adjustment, and non-corporate capital consumption allowance (CCA). For other private industries, capital charges include corporate profits before taxes, net interest, corporate inventory valuation adjustment, corporate capital consumption allowance (CCA), business transfer payments, and subsidies.For government industries, other capital charges comprise subsidies less current surplus of government enterprises and the consumption of fixed capital. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Propulsion | The main mechanism used to drive the vessel forward (e.g., diesel engine, gasoline engine, steam turbine). ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Public Transportation | Bus: Includes intercity buses, mass transit systems, and shuttle buses that are available to the general public. Also includes Dial-A-Bus and Senior Citizen buses that are available to the public. Does not include shuttle buses operated by a government agency or private industry for the convenience of employees, contracted or chartered buses or school buses. Commuter Trains: Includes commuter trains and passenger trains other than elevated trains and subways. Includes local and commuter train service. Does not include intercity service by Amtrak.Streetcar/Trolley: Includes trolleys, streetcars, and cable cars.Elevated Rail/Subway: Includes elevated and subway trains in a city. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Publico | A transit mode comprised of passenger vans or class C buses operating with fixed routes but no fixed schedules. Publicos are a privately owned and operated mass transit service which is market oriented and unsubsidized, but regulated through a public service commission, state or local government. Publicos are operated under franchise agreements, fares are regulated by route and there are special insurance requirements. Vehicle capacity varies from 8 to 24, and the vehicles may be owned or leased by the operator. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Pump Station | One of the installations, containing pumps and other equipment, built at intervals along a liquid pipeline to route and increase the flow. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Purchased Transportation | Transportation service purchased by a public agency from a public or private provider on the basis of a written contract. ( National Transit Database ) |
| R | |
| Term | Definition |
| ROW | Right of Way ( National Transit Database ) |
| RVR | Runway Visual Range. The range over which the pilot of an aircraft on the centerline of a runway can see the runway surface markings or the lights delineating the runway or identifying its centerline. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| RVV | Runway Visibility Value. The visibility determined for a particular runway by a transmissometer. A meter provides a continuous indication of the visibility (reported in miles or fractions of miles) for the runway. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Race | The race with which the respondent and other household members most closely identify. Choices include: White, Black, American Indian, Eskimo, Or Aleut, Asian Or Pacific Islander, and Other Race. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Rail/Grade Crossing | A location where one or more railroad tracks cross a public highway, road, or street or a private roadway, and includes sidewalks and pathways at or associated with the crossing. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| A location where one or more railroad tracks cross a public highway, road, or street or a private roadway. Includes sidewalks and pathways at or associated with the crossing. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) | |
| Railroad | Includes common carriers (for-hire carriers that hold themselves out to serve the general public at reasonable rates and without discrimination) and private railroads (carriers not open to the public at large). ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Railroad Carfloat | A barge equipped with railroad tracks used to move rail cars across water. Typically, the carfloat is towed by a tugboat. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Railroad Retirement | The Federal railroad retirement system. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Railroad Type | Railroads are catergorized by size. Class I railroads are those with an annual operating revenue of $250 million or more after applying the railroad revenue deflator formula, which is based on the Railroad Freight Price Index developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Class II railroads have annual revenues between $40 million and the revenue minimum for Class I railroads, and at least 350 track miles. Class III railroads have less than 350 track miles and less than $40 million in annual revenues. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Ramp To Ramp Time/Hours | The time computed from the moment an aircraft first moves under its own power for purposes of flight, until it comes to rest at the next point of landing. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Real Dollars | The value of goods or services measured in constant dollars. Constant dollars are current dollars that have been adjusted for inflation in terms of a base period. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Rear-end Collision | A collision in which one vehicle collides with the rear of another vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Reconciling Items | Any items where accounting practices vary for handling these expenses as a result of local ordinances and conditions. Reconciling items include depreciation and amortization, interest payments, leases and rentals. They are called reconciling items because they are needed to provide an overall total that is consistent with local published reports. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Recreational Boat | Any vessel manufactured or used primarily for noncommercial use; leased, rented or chartered to another for the latter's noncommercial use ( Recreational Boating Accident Reporting Database ) |
| Reformulated Gasoline | Finished motor gasoline formulated for use in motor vehicles, the composition and properties of which meet the requirements of the reformulated gasoline regulations promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This category includes oxygenated fuels program reformulated gasoline. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Regular | Gasoline having an antiknock index, i.e., octane rating, greater than or equal to 85 and less than 88. Note: Octane requirements may vary by altitude. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Reportable Damage | Reportable damage includes labor costs and all other costs to repair or replace in kind damaged on-track equipment, signals, track, track structures, or roadbed. Reportable damage does not include the cost of clearing a wreck; however, additional damage to the above listed items caused while clearing the wreck is to be included in your damage estimate. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Reporting Carrier | The carrier that submitted data to the Office of Airline Information for a given passenger segment. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Reporting Threshold | The amount of total reportable damage resulting from a train accident which, if exceeded, requires the preparation and forwarding of an FRA accident/incident form by the railroads involved. For accidents occurring in calendar years 1991-1996, the reporting threshold was $6,300. For accidents occurring in calendar year 1997, the reporting threshold was $6,300. For accidents occurring in calendar years 1998-2001, the reporting threshold was $6,500. For accidents occuring in calendar years 2002-2003, the reporting threshold is $6,700. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Respondent | The person who reported the information about the trip. Survey procedures specified that persons 15 years old or older be interviewed personally about any trips they took during the reference period. Household trips taken by more than one household member were reported by the first member interviewed who went on the trip. Trips taken by household members under 15 years of age were reported by a knowledgeable adult household member. Procedures were established to ensure that a household trip taken by more than one household member was reported only once with an indication of each of the household members on the trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Responsible Party | The vessel or other party whose actions resulted in a marine violation case. Also, the vessel or party that is not in compliance with USCG safety and environmental regulations. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Restraint System | Manually operated restraint systems include shoulder belts, lap belts, lap and shoulder belt combinations, or child safety seats. Automatic restraint systems include passive belts and air bag systems. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Restraint Use | The occupant's use of available vehicle restraints including lap belt, shoulder belt, or automatic belt. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Revenue | Pertaining to activities for which remuneration is received by the carrier. ( Air Carrier Statistics, Small Air Carrier Statistics, Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Revenue Passenger Mile | One revenue passenger transported one mile in revenue service. Revenue passenger miles are computed by summation of the products of the revenue aircraft miles on each interairport segment multiplied by the number of revenue passengers carried on that segment. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Revenue Ton Mile | One revenue ton (2,000 pounds) transported one statute mile. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| River Mile | Designated mileage from the mouth of the river used for identifying locations along the riverbanks. An exception is the Ohio River, on which mileage commences from the head of the river in lieu of the mouth. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| River stage | The height of the water at a certain location on a given day. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Ro-Ro | See Roll-On/Roll-Off Vessel. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances, National Ferry Database ) |
| RoRo | Roll On / Roll Off ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Roadway | That part of a trafficway designed, improved, and ordinarily used for motor vehicle travel. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Roadway Function Class | The classification describing the character of service the street or highway is intended to provide. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Roadway Profile | Refers to the type of inclination of a segment of the roadway (e.g., level, grade, hilltop). ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Roadway Surface Condition | Describes the condition of the roadway at the time of the incident (e.g., dry, wet, icy). ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Roadway Surface Type | Describes the predominant material used to construct the roadway surface (e.g. concrete, blacktop, dirt). ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Roll-On Roll-Off | A method of ocean cargo service using a vessel with ramps which allows wheeled vehicles to be loaded and discharged without cranes. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Roll-On/Roll-Off Vessel | A vessel with ramps which allows wheeled vehicles to be loaded and discharged without cranes. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances, National Ferry Database ) |
| Rolling Stock | The vehicles used in a transit system, including buses and rail cars. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Rollover | Rollover is defined as any vehicle rotation of 90 degrees or more about any true longitudinal or lateral axis. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Rollover is defined as any vehicle rotation of 90 degrees or more about any true longitudinal or lateral axis. Includes rollovers occurring as a first harmful event or subsequent event. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) | |
| Round Trip Distance | Estimated transportation network miles traveled from the residence of the household at the time of the trip to the destination and back. Miles are calculated separately from origin to destination and destination to origin and added together to allow for differences in routes traveled each way. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Rural | Includes all areas of a state outside of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved adjusted census boundaries of small urban and urbanized areas. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled, Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Rural Major Collectors | Those public roads that are functionally classified as a part of the major collector subclassification of the rural collector system as described in volume 20, appendix 12, Highway Planning Program Manual. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| S | |
| Term | Definition |
| SMI | Significant Marine Incident indicator. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| SO2 | Sulfur Dioxide ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| SO2 Emissions | Sulfur Dioxide, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set a national air quality standard for. belongs to the family of sulfur oxide gases (SOx). These gases dissolve easily in water. Sulfur is prevalent in all raw materials, including crude oil, coal, and ore that contains common metals like aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and iron. Over 65% of SO2 released to the air, or more than 13 million tons per year, comes from electric utilities, especially those that burn coal. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| STCC Code | Standard Transportation Commodity Classification ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| STRAHNET | Strategic Highway Corridor Network; The STRAHNET includes highways which are important to the United States strategic defense policy and which provide defense access, continuity, and emergency capabilities for the movement of personnel, materials, and equipment in both peacetime and war time. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| SWATH | Small-Waterplane-Area Twin Hull ship. An experimental hull configuration similar to the two-hulled catamaran, but with submerged hulls connected to the above-water deck by thin struts. This allows for a wide deck and reduced drag, but is not suitable for heavy loads. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Scheduled Departure Time | The scheduled time that an aircraft should lift off from the origin airport. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Scheduled Departures | Takeoffs scheduled at an airport, as set forth in published schedules. (same as Departures Scheduled) ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Scheduled Service | Transport service operated persuant to published flight schedules, including extra sections and related nonrevenue flights. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Scheduled Time Of Arrival | The scheduled time that an aircraft should cross a certain point (landing or metering fix). ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Scheduled Vehicle Revenue Miles | The vehicle revenue miles computed from the scheduled service. It includes only the scheduled vehicle revenue miles from the whole trip. It excludes deadhead, service interruptions and special additional services. ( National Transit Database ) |
| School Bus-Related Crash | Any crash in which a vehicle, regardless of body design, used as a school bus is directly or indirectly involved, such as a crash involving school children alighting from a vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Seasonal Service | A service provided during a limited period each year (e.g., a ferry that runs all year except during the winter). ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Seat Mile | The aircraft miles flown in each inter-airport segment multiplied by the number of seats available on that segment for revenue passenger use. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| Seating Position | The location of the occupants in the vehicle. More than one can be assigned the same seat position; however, this is allowed only when a person is sitting on someone's lap. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Seats Available | Installed seats in an aircraft (including seats in lounges) exclusive of any seats not offered for sale to the public by the carrier; provided that in no instance shall any seat sold be excluded from the count of available seats. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Seaworthiness | Being fit or safe for a sea voyage. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Segment | A pair of points served or scheduled to be served by a single stage of at least one flight at any given time. ( Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Segmented Trip | A trip that includes at least one transfer. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Self Propelled | A vessel having its own means of propulsion, whether mechanical, natural, or other. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Service Area | A measure of access to transit service in terms of population served and area coverage (square miles). The reporting transit agency determines the service area boundaries and population for most transit services using the definitions contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ( National Transit Database ) |
| Shallow Draft Vessels | Barges, ships, or ferries operating primarily on rivers and canals; in harbors, the Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway; the Intracoastal Waterway, the Inside Passage to Alaska, major bays and inlets; or in the ocean close to the shoreline. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Shipment | An individual movement of commodities from an establishment to a customer or to another location of the originating company (including a warehouse, distribution center, retail or wholesale outlet). A shipment uses one or more modes of transportation including parcel delivery, U.S. Postal Service, courier, private truck, for-hire truck, rail, water, pipeline, air, and other modes. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Sideswipe | A collision in which the sides of both vehicles sustain minimal engagements. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Single-Unit Truck | A medium or heavy truck in which the engine, cab, drive train, and cargo area are all on one chassis. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Sinking | Losing enough buoyancy to settle below the surface of the water. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Sky Condition Ceiling | The height above the earth's surface of the lowest layer of clouds or obscuring phenomena that is reported as broken, overcast, or obscuration, and not classified as thin or partial. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Sleeper | An optional truck segment, located behind the truck cab and in front of the cargo storage area, which contains sleeping quarters and other ammenities. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Small Certificated Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a certificate issued under section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, as amended, that operates aircraft designed to have a maximum seating capacity of 60 seats or fewer or a maximum payload of 18,000 pounds or less. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| South Atlantic Division | Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Special Use Vehicle | Indicates if the vehicle has a special use (e.g., taxi, military, police, ambulance, fire) and was being used for that purpose at the time of the incident. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Standard Classification Of Transported Goods | A commodity coding system developed jointly by agencies of the United States and Canadian governments based on the Harmonized System to address statistical needs in regard to products transported. (acronym SCTG) ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System | A system used by the Federal government to group similar establishments into industries. The SIC Division Structure makes it possible to collect and calculate establishment data by broad industrial divisions, industrial groups, and specific industries. This data will be converted to a new industry classification system, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2002) in 2003. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings, Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| A system used by the Federal government to groups similar establishments into industries. The SIC Division Structure makes it possible to collect and calculate establishment data by broad industrial divisions, industrial groups, and specific industries. BLS replaced the SIC system with the Standard Occupational Classification system in 1999. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) | |
| Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system | A system used by the Federal government to group similar establishments into industries. The SIC Division Structure makes it possible to collect and calculate establishment data by broad industrial divisions, industrial groups, and specific industries. This data will be converted to a new industry classification system, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2002) in 2003. ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings ) |
| Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC) | A system categorizing workers in one of about 770 detailed occupations. Together, these detailed occupations comprise 22 major occupational groups. The SOC system was created by the Office of Management and Budget and implemented by the Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates Survey in 1999. ( Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates ) |
| Starboard | Right side of ship when facing forward. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Stern | The end of a vessel, opposite of bow. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Straight Truck | Vehicle with the cargo body and tractor mounted on the same chassis. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Stratum | A statistical subpopulation. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Structural Failure | A fracturing or giving way under stress of an essential physical element of the vessel ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Substrat | Substratum; a statistical supopulation within a stratum. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Subway | An underground rail rapid transit system or the tunnel through which it runs. In local usage, sometimes used for the entire rail rapid transit system, even if it is not all beneath the ground surface ( National Transit Database ) |
| T | |
| Term | Definition |
| T-100 | A section of Form 41, which includes non-stop segment and on-flight market data. Air carriers are required to periodically file Form 41 with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. ( Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Tank Farm | An installation used by gathering and trunk pipeline companies, crude oil producers, and terminal operators (except refineries) to store crude oil. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Tanker | A vessel designed to haul liquid bulk cargo. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Taxi-In Time | The time elapsed between wheels down and arrival at the destination airport gate. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Taxi-Out Time | The time elapsed between departure from the origin airport gate and wheels off. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Through Lane | Roadway lanes that are not turning lanes, exit, or entrance ramps. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Ticket | In 1994, the Coast Guard began issuing notice of violations (tickets) to parties known to have discharged 100 gallons or less of oil into the navigable waters of the United States. The notice of violation program accounts for 50 percent of the number of marine pollution incidents in the U.S.--but only a fraction of the quantity of oil discharged into U.S. waters. Ticket cases account for three percent of the volume of oil spilled in U.S. waters. Oil spills over 100 gallons or other substances discharged into the navigable waters of the U.S. are located in the MINMod database. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Timetable Station | A scheduled stop for a train. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Ton Mile | One ton (2,000 pounds) transported one statue mile. Ton-miles are computed by multiplying the aircraft miles flown on each inter-airport segment by the number of tons carried on that segment. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Air Carrier Summary Data ) |
| The weight times the mileage for a shipment. The respondents reported shipment weight in pounds, and mileage was calculated as the distance between the shipment origin and destination ZIP Codes. For shipments by truck, rail, or shallow draft vessels, the mileage excludes international segments. Aggregated pound-miles were converted to ton-miles (based on short tons). The ton-miles data are displayed in millions. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) | |
| Tons Shipped | The total weight of an entire shipment. Respondents reported the weight in pounds. Aggregated pounds were converted to short-tons (2,000 pounds). The tons data are displayed in thousands. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Total Itinerary Yield | Itinerary fare per itinerary miles flown. The itinerary includes all segements of a journey from origin to destination. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Total Modal Activity | The overall activity (e.g., ton-miles) of a specific mode of transportation, whether used in a single-mode shipment, or as part of a multiple-mode shipment. For example, the total modal activity for private truck is the total ton-miles carried by private truck in single-mode shipments, combined with the total ton-miles carried by private truck in all multiple-mode shipments that include private truck (private truck and for-hire truck, private truck and rail, private truck and air, etc.) ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Total Reportable Damage | Includes labor costs and all other costs to repair or replace in kind damaged on-track equipment, signals, track, track structures or roadbed. Reportable damage does not include the cost of clearing a wreck; however, additional damage to the above listed items caused while clearing the wreck is to be included in your damage estimate. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Towed Trailing Unit | Any device attached to a motor vehicle by a hitch, including tractor trailer combinations, boat hitched on to motor vehicle, etc. This does not include towed vehicles, such as a tow truck towing a car. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Toxicology | The study of the nature and mechanism of toxic effects of substances on living organisms and other biologic systems. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Track | The actual flight path of an aircraft over the surface of the earth. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Track Class | Track classes are minimum safety requirements for rail track, as established by the Federal government. The standards are more stringent as train speeds increase. For example, standards are higher for class 9 track (speeds up to 200 mph) than for class 1 track (10 mph for passenger trains, 15 mph for freight trains). ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Track Type | Includes the following types of tracks: Main track: A track, other than an auxiliary track, extending through yards or between stations, upon which trains are operated by time table or train order or both, or the use of which is governed by a signal system; Industry track: A switching track, or series of tracks, serving the needs of a commercial industry other than a railroad; Siding: A track auxiliary to the main track used for meeting or passing trains; Yard track: A system of tracks within defined limits used for the making up or breaking up of trains, for the storing of cars, and for other purposes over which movements not authorized by time table or by train order may be made, subject to prescribed signals, rules or other special instructions. Sidings and industry tracks are not included, nor is main line within yard limits. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Traffic Accident | An accident that involved a motor vehicle that occurred on a public highway or road in the United States and that resulted in property damage or personal injury. Does not include accidents that happened in a parking lot, in a driveway, on a private road, or in a foreign country. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) | Level of geographic detail used in most transportation planning applications to summarize socio-economic characteristics and travel data. TAZs vary in size depending on density and homogeneity of land uses, and are defined by local agencies. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Traffic Control Device | A sign, signal, marking, or other device placed on or adjacent to a street or highway, by authority of a public body or official that has jurisdiction, to regulate, warn, or guide traffic. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents, General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Traffic Flow Type | Denotes whether a trafficway accomodates undivided two-way traffic, divided two-way traffic (median and/or traffic barrier), or one-way traffic. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Traffic Related Expenses | Expenses incurred due to traffic solicitor salaries, traffic commissions, passenger food expense, traffic liability insurance, advertising and other promotion and publicity expenses, and the fringe benefit expenses related to all salaries in this classification. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Trafficway | Any road, street, or highway open to the public as a matter of right or custom for moving persons or property from one place to another. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Trailing Vehicle | Indicates if vehicle was pulling a trailer unit. A trailer unit can be a horse trailer, fifth wheel trailer, camper, boat, truck trailer, towed vehicle, or any other trailer. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Train Accident | Any collision, derailment, fire, explosion, act of God, or other event involving the operation of on-track equipment (standing or moving) that results in total damages to all railroads involved in the event that is greater than the current reporting threshold to railroad on-track equipment, signals, track, track structures, and roadbed. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Train Incident | An event involving the movement of on-track equipment that results in a reportable casualty but does not cause reportable damage above the threshold established for train accidents. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Train Mile | A unit of comparative measure equal to the movement of one train for a distance of one mile. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Train Revenue Hours | The hours that are comprised of running time and layover/recovery time. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Train Revenue Miles | The miles that are comprised of running time and layover/recovery time. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Transfer | To change vehicles or means of transportation while traveling between origin and destination. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Transit Bus | A bus designed for frequent stop service with front and center doors, normally with a rear-mounted diesel engine, low-back seating, and without luggage storage compartments or rest room facilities. Includes motor bus and trolley coach. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Transit System | An organization (public or private) providing local or regional multi-occupancy-vehicle passenger service. Organizations that provide service under contract to another agency are generally not counted as separate systems. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Transport-Related Expenses | All expense items applicable to the generation of transport-related revenues. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Transport-Related Revenues | Revenues from the transportation by air of all classes of traffic in scheduled and nonscheduled service. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Travel Day | A 24-hour period from 4:00 a.m. to 3:59 a.m. designated as the reference period for studying trips and travel by members of a sampled household. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Day Trip | A travel day trip is defined as any one-way travel from one address (place) to another by any means of transportation (e.g., private motor vehicle, public transportation, bicycle, or walking). When travel is to more than one destination, a separate trip exists each time one or both of the following criteria is satisfied: the travel time between two destinations exceeds 5 minutes, and/or the purpose for travel to one destination is different from the purpose for travel to another. The one exception is travel within a shopping center or mall. It is to be considered travel to one destination, regardless of the number of stores visited. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Party Size | Any of three groups depending on whether household and/or non-household members were on the trip. Travel Party is the total number of household and non-household members on the trip. Household Travel Party is the total number of household members on the trip. Non-Household Travel Party is the total number of non-household members on the trip. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Travel Party Type | Any of eight categories describing the number of adults and children in the group. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Travel Period | The 13 days immediately preceding the travel day and the designated travel day for a sampled household, for a total of 14 days. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Period Trip | A travel period trip is one-way to a destination, which is 75 miles-or-more from home with a return home trip during the 14-day travel period. Travel to the destination is counted as one trip and travel to return home is counted as another trip. For example, a person living in Denver flies to San Francisco, stays one week, and returns to Denver during the 14-day travel period. This would be counted as two travel period trips - one outgoing and one return. The only time a travel period trip would not have a return trip collected is when the respondent moves his/her residence. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Trespass | To unlawfully enter land, a dwelling or other real property. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Trip | Each time a person goes to a place at least 100 miles away from home and returns. Respondents were asked to report trips of 75 miles or more as a means of reducing possible failure in reporting trips of 100 miles or more due to a misconception by the respondent of the actual miles traveled. Trips subsequently calculated to be less than 100 miles were excluded from the estimates. A household trip refers to a trip in which one or more members of a household traveled together. A person trip refers to a trip taken by an individual. For example, if three persons from the same household go together on a trip, the trip is counted as one household trip and three person trips. If persons goes alone on two trips, the trips are counted as two household trips and two person trips. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Trip Chaining | A term used to refer to the phenomenon of making intermediate stops as part of a longer trip. For example, stopping at a convenience store or day care center as part of the trip from home to work. Chained trips were not reported in the 1990 Census data. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Trip Purpose | The main reason that motivated the trip. For purposes of this survey, there are 11 trip reasons. For travel day trips, if there was more than one reason, and the reasons do not involve different destinations, then only the main reason is chosen. If there are two or more reasons, and they each involve different destinations, then each reason is classified as a separate trip. For travel period trips, if there was more than one reason, the primary reason was collected. The 11 trip reasons are defined as follows: To or from Work: Includes travel to a place where one reports for work. Does not include any other work-related travel. Work-related Business: Trips related to business activities except travel to the place of work; for example, a plumber drives to a wholesale dealer to purchase supplies for his business or a company executive travels from his office to another firm to attend a business meeting. Business, out- of-town trips, and professional conventions are also included. Shopping: Includes window-shopping and purchase of commodities such as groceries, furniture, clothing, etc. for use or consumption elsewhere. Doctor/Dentist: Trips made for medical, dental, or psychiatric treatment or other related professional services. Other family or personal business: Includes the purchase of services such as cleaning garments, servicing an automobile, haircuts, banking, legal services, etc. School/Church: Trips to school, college or university for class(es), to PTA meetings, seminars, etc., to church services or to participate in other religious activities. Social activities that take place at a church or school but cannot be classified as religious or educational are not included in this category. Vacation: Trips reported by the respondent as vacation. Visit friends or relatives: Trips made to visit friends or relatives. Pleasure driving: Driving trips made with no other purpose listed but to go for a drive with no destination in mind. Other social or recreational: Trips taken to enjoy some form of social activity involving friends or acquaintances. Includes trips for general entertainment or recreation (both as observer or as participant).Other social or recreational: Trips taken to enjoy some form of social activity involving friends or acquaintances. Includes trips for general entertainment or recreation (both as observer or as participant). Other: For trips that do not fit in any of the other categories. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Trolleybus | A transit mode comprised of electric rubber tired passenger vehicles, manually steered and operating singly on city streets. Vehicles are propelled by a motor drawing current through overhead wires via trolleys, from a central power source not on board the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Truck | Shipments using for-hire truck only, private truck only, or a combination of for-hire truck and private truck. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| U | |
| Term | Definition |
| U.S. Coastal District | All United States waters subject to the tide, waters of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, specified ports and harbors on inland rivers, waters of the contiguous zone, other waters of the high seas subject to the National Contingency Plan, and the land surface or land substrate, ground waters, and ambient air proximal to those waters. The term coastal zone delineates an area of federal responsibility for response action. Precise boundaries are determined by agreements between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and are identified in Federal Regional Contingency Plans and Area Contingency Plans. There are nine U.S. coastal regions: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf, California, Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| USCG | U.S. Coast Guard ( National Ferry Database ) |
| USPS Codes | United States Postal Service (USPS) codes for States are used in all American Travel Survey (ATS) data products. The codes are two-character alphabetic abbreviations. These codes are the same as the FIPS two-character alphabetic abbreviations. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| UZA | Urbanized Area; 1) Areas with a population of 50,000 or more, at a minimum, encompass an entire urbanized area in a state, as designated by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved, adjusted urbanized area boundaries include the census defined urbanized areas plus transportation centers, shopping centers, major places of employment, satellite communities, and other major trip generators near the edge of the urbanized area, including those expected to be in place shortly. 2) An approximate classification of sample households as belonging to an urbanized area or not. Those classified as belong to an urbanized area were either in a central city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), or in a MSA but outside the central city, and within a zip code area with a population density of at least 500 people per square mile in 1990. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Underride/Override | Underride generally occurs as the result of a collision between vehicles of substantially different size. Underride happens when all or part of the vehicle goes underneath the chassis of another vehicle during a collision. Override happens when another vehicle goes underneath the chassis of the vehicle in question during a collision. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Unknown | Data either not available or not known. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Unlinked Passenger Trips | The number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Urban | Includes all areas of a state inside of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved adjusted census boundaries of small urban and urbanized areas. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled, Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Urban Collectors | Those public roads that are functionally classified as a part of the urban collector system as described in volume 20, appendix 12, Highway Planning Program Manual. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled ) |
| Urbanized Area | An approximate classification of sample households as belonging to an urbanized area. Those classified as belonging to an urbanized area were either in a central city of an MSA, or in a MSA but outside the central city, and within a zip code area with a population density of at least 500 people per square mile in 1990. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Densely settled territory that contains 50,000 or more people. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) | |
| V | |
| Term | Definition |
| VOC Emissions | Volatile Organic Compounds, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set a national air quality standard for. VOCs are ozone precursors, emitted from motor vehicle fuel distribution and chemical manufacturing, as well as other solvent uses. VOCs react with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere to form ozone. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| Vacation Trip | Not listed as a main purpose of travel for the American Travel Survey. Respondents were asked whether or not a specific trip taken was considered as a vacation trip. Respondents were also asked the main purpose of a trip (e.g. sightseeing, outdoor recreation, entertainment, business, etc). ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Value Of Shipment | The dollar value of the entire shipment. This is defined as the net selling value, f.o.b. plant, exclusive of freight charges, and excise taxes. The value data are displayed in millions of dollars. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Valve Station | An installation containing a device used to control the rate of flow in a pipeline, to stop or start the flow, or to serve as an automatic or semiautomatic safety device. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Vandalism | The willful or malicious destruction, injury, disfigurement or defacement of any public or private property, real or personal, without consent of the owner or person having custody or control by cutting, tearing, breaking, marking, painting, drawing, covering with filth, or any other such means as may be specified by local law. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Vanpool | A transit mode comprised of vans, class C buses and other vehicles operating as a ridesharing arrangement, providing transportation to a group of individuals traveling directly between their homes and a regular destination within the same geographical area. The vehicles shall have a minimum seating capacity of 7 persons, including the driver. For inclusion in the NTD, it is considered mass transit service if it is operated by a public entity or is one in which a public entity owns, purchases, or leases the vehicle(s). Vanpool(s) must also be in compliance with mass transit rules including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provisions, and be open to the public and that availability must be made known. Other forms of public participation to encourage ridesharing arrangements, such as the provision of parking spaces, use of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, coordination or clearing house service, do not qualify as public vanpools. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Variable Message Sign | Temporary and permanent road signs which can be programmed to broadcast a message to passing motorists. Temporary variable message signs are frequently used to communicate upcoming road conditions to motorists, especially during road construction. Permanent variable message signs may provide real-time updates of traffic conditions or accidents. ( Highway Perfomance Monitoring System ) |
| Vehicle Body Type | See Vehicle Type. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Vehicle Configuration | The combination of vehicular units comprising a commercial motor vehicle. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Vehicle Contributing Factor | Indicates which vehicle factors may have contributes to the cause of the crash. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Vehicle Identification Number | A set of about 17 codes, combining letters and numbers, assigned to a vehicle at the factory and inscribed on a small metal label attached to the dashboard and visible through the windshield. The vehicle identification number (VIN) is a unique identifier for the vehicle. The coded information in the VIN describes characteristics of the vehicle such as engine size and weight. ( Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Vehicle Mile of Travel (VMT) | A unit to measure vehicle travel made by a private vehicle, such as an automobile, van, pickup truck, or motorcycle. Each mile traveled is counted as one vehicle mile regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle. ( Vehicle Miles Traveled, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Number | The number assigned to an in transport motor vehicle involved in the event. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Vehicle Occupancy | The number of persons, including driver and passenger(s) in a vehicle; also includes persons who did not complete a whole trip. NPTS occupancy rates are generally calculated as person miles divided by vehicle miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Trip | A trip by a single vehicle regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Type | A series of motor vehicle body types that have been grouped together because of their design similarities. The principal vehicle types used are passenger car, light truck, large truck, motorcycle, bus, and other vehicle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| For purposes of the 1990 NPTS, nine vehicle types are: Automobile (including station wagon) Passenger Van Cargo Van Pickup Truck (including pickup with camper) Other Truck RV or Motor Home Motorcycle Moped (Motorized Bicycle) Other (Specify). See Means of Transportation for definitions of these vehicle types. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) | |
| Vehicles | Includes cars, trucks, vans, recreational vehicles (RVs), and motorcycles. The number and type of vehicles owned or available for use by the household. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Vessel Call Sign | The combination of identifying letters or letters and numbers assigned to an operator, office, activity, or station for use in communication (as in the address of a message sent by radio). ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database, National Ferry Database ) |
| Visibility | The ability, as determined by atmospheric conditions and expressed in units of distance, to see and identify prominent unlighted objects by day and prominent lighted objects by night. Visibility is reported as statute miles, hundreds of feet or meters. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| W | |
| Term | Definition |
| Wall Thickness | Thickness of material used to constuct pipeline. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Water | Shipments using shallow draft vessel only, deep draft vessel only, or Great Lakes vessel only. Combinations of these modes, such as shallow draft vessel and Great Lakes vessel are included as Other multiple modes. ( Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Weekday | From 6 a.m. Monday to 5:59 p.m. Friday. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Weekend | From 6 p.m. Friday to 5:59 a.m. Monday. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Weekend Trip | A trip including an overnight stay on a Friday or a Saturday night. Travelers who stay one or two nights away including a Friday or Saturday night are defined as regular weekend travelers. Those who stay three to five nights away including a Friday and/or Saturday night stay are defined as long weekend travelers. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| West North Central Division | Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas ( American Travel Survey ) |
| West South Central Division | Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Wheelbase | The distance from the center line of the front axle to the center line of the rear axle. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Whistle Ban | A whistle ban or train horn ban is a prohibition of the sounding of locomotive audible warning devices within a local community or at specific highway-rail grade crossings. Whistle bans have historically been established by local ordinance or through agreements with specific railroads pursuant to existing state law. Studies have shown the silencing of locomotive horns greatly increases the safety hazard to vehicles at highway-rail grade crossings, since no specific safety improvements are made to compensate for the absence of the audible warning. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| World Area Code (WAC) | Numeric codes used to identify geopolitical areas such as countries, states (U.S.), provinces (Canada), and territories or possessions of certain countries. The codes are used within the various data banks maintained by the Office of Airline Information (OAI) and are created by OAI. ( Air Carrier Statistics, Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B), Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Y | |
| Term | Definition |
| Yield Strength | Indication of maximum stress that can be developed in a material without causing plastic deformation. It is the stress at which a material exhibits a specified permanent deformation and is a practical approximation of elastic limit. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Bureau of Transportation Statistics U.S.Department of Transportation 400 7th Street, SW • Room 3430 • Washington, DC 20590 L'Enfant Plaza Metrorail Station (7th and D Streets) 800-853-1351 |