Traffic monitoring has a fundamental impact on transportation decisions. Decisions based on the results of traffic monitoring include the allocation of resources, identification of safety problems, and design of roadway alignment and pavement thickness. An overview of the development of traffic monitoring, the need for national traffic monitoring standards, and foundational principles for the development of standard practice are described. The traffic monitoring profession developed primarily as an independent activity. Agencies, offices within agencies, and individuals within offices developed independent data collection, summarisation, and analysis procedures. The emphasis has been on application of professional judgement. This emphasis has proven helpful when the professional was aware of specific roadway operational characteristics. Unfortunately, this emphasis has also resulted in a lack of data consistency and comparability. There is a need to develop national traffic monitoring standards as a reference for appropriate use of professional judgement. Four foundational principles are proposed for the development of national traffic monitoring standards. They are base data integrity, measurement edits, consistent computation, and truth-in-data. With these principles, national standards could result in directly comparable, nationwide traffic statistics. Standard practice would provide transportation efficiencies through more accurate and precise assessment of traffic demand and service. Standard practice can enhance the safe transport of people and goods and the nation's transportation competitiveness.
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