Motorists' attitudes and behavior concerning California roadside rest areas. Presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, Washington, January 1974.

This paper reports the results of a research program conducted to assist in evaluating the highway travel and stopping patterns of California drivers. The findings of the study deal, in large part, with long-trip motorists, defined as those who have taken at least 1 trip of 100 miles or more away from home in the previous year. Eighty-six percent of all California motorists have taken at least 1 such trip. The demographic profile of the California long-trip motorist closely parallels the profile of California highway users in general. The median stopping closely parallels the profile of California highway users in general. The median stopping interval for long-trip motorists is every 73 miles and 75 minutes; the mean stopping interval is 81 miles and 85 minutes. The roadside rest area user tends to stop more often than the average long-trip motorist. The median stopping interval for all rest area users is every 58 miles and 68 minutes, and the mean is every 61 miles and 73 minutes. Sixty-four percent of all California highway users have stopped at a roadside rest area at 1 time or another; long-trip motorists are more likely to stop at such an area than short-trip motorists. Roadside rest area users have taken considerably more long driving trips (14) than the average California motorist (7) within the past 12 months. Other findings of the study concern motorists' attitudes and opinions concerning roadside rest areas, reasons for using them, comparison of the rest areas with the "ideal" stopping opportunity, and related issues.