Policy projects

International trends in transportation energy (Schipper)

For two decades EAD has been a leader in providing thorough data collection and analysis of international trends in passenger and goods mobility, and has developed a unparalleled database for 10 key industrialized countries: United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Netherlands, and Canada. We examine where questions of car use and car fuel use, new car trends, carbon dioxide emissions trends, and demographic trends in the buyers market are headed both in the key industrialized countries as well as in Eastern Europe and developing countries--key information for those concerned with approaches to restraining the growth in transportation demand. We recently estimated long-term vehicle fuel demand in twelve industrialized countries (Journal of Transportation Economics and Policy). Publications.

Lifestyles, land-use, and mobility (Schipper)

While technology for vehicles has advanced considerably, behavioral trends, including the choice for bigger and more powerful cars, is leading to increases in fuel use and emissions. Understanding the role of human behavior in conjunction with the development of transportation technology and infrastructure trends will lead to a more robust approach to designing policies that can work more effectively in today's world. EAD has focused past research on obtaining a better understanding of the effect of "lifestyles" on travel behavior; why are people moving or traveling more often, especially for leisure time activities? We have also investigated the role of land-use, urban planning and other geographical factors in shaping transportation patterns. This research work is based on detailed analysis of transportation surveys and a wide body of current literature. We recently completed a study of lifestyle and transportation for the US Department of Transportation ("People on the Move") and seek to expand and deepen this research in the future. Publications.

Vehicle fuel economy and safety (Wenzel)

There is a perception that reductions in vehicle weight to improve fuel economy will reduce the crashworthiness of vehicles, thus compromising passenger safety. We have begun a thorough analysis of the effect of vehicle weight on safety, independent of vehicle size characteristics, using the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) database developed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Publications.

Consumer choice modeling (Wenzel)

EAD has developed a strong capability in the use of econometric modeling to shed light on historical trends through the analysis of large sets of data. Past work in this area has included an analysis of vehicle fuel demand in the US in an analysis of "feebate" policies, and analysis of surveys of the vehicle purchase and use preferences of California consumers. Publications.

Pay as You Drive Insurance (Wenzel)

Pay as You Drive insurance (PAYD) would transfer a portion of yearly automobile insurance premiums to variable charges. PAYD charges can be collected either for every gallon of gasoline purchased (pay at the pump insurance) or for every vehicle-mile driven (odometer-based registration fees). By transferring a portion of insurance costs from fixed to variable costs, PAYD policies would give an economic disincentive to consumers to drive. To the extent that PAYD reduces gasoline consumption or vehicle miles travelled (VMT) directly, it may also address a host of problems associated with vehicle travel, such as emissions of greenhouse gasses and criteria air pollutants, as well as traffic congestion. In addition, PAYD would reallocate insurance premiums more equitably by forcing uninsured drivers to purchase insurance, and by basing premiums on a better measure of accident frequency: gallons purchased or miles driven. We have conducted an extensive review of the literature and summarized analyses of the impact of PAYD on national VMT, fuel consumption, and insurance provision. This review includes a qualitative analysis of various PAYD systems proposed in California and other states, and analyzed the issues involved in adopting PAYD at a national level. Publications.