| Terms | Definitions |
|---|
| 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 ) |
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