There has been a sharp increase in the share of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and other light trucks in the US vehicle fleet. The characteristics of SUV and light-truck commuters are analyzed using the journey-to-work data from the American Housing Survey, and these are compared with car commuters. It is seen that SUV-truck commuters have slightly higher salaries but lower household incomes than car commuters, although they are more likely to hold college degrees and to own a home, especially a single home. Logit analysis is used to explore the impact of explanatory variables on the likelihood of commuting via SUV or light truck, as compared with ordinary cars. The likelihood rises with income but declines with the value of the house and the total number of motor vehicles owned by the household. It is also affected by a host of other socioeconomic, housing, location and neighborhood features. The environmental effects of SUV and light truck commuting are discussed. (A) "Reprinted with permission from Elsevier".
Samenvatting