Book excerpt: By discussing statistical concepts in the context of transportation planning and operations, Transportation Statistics and Microsimulation provides the necessary background for making informed transportation-related decisions. It explains the why behind standard methods and uses real-world transportation examples and problems to illustrate key concepts. The Tools and Methods to Solve Transportation Problems Classroom-tested at Texas A&M University, the text covers the statistical techniques most frequently employed by transportation and pavement professionals. To familiarize readers with the underlying theory and equations, it contains problems that can be solved using statistical software. The authors encourage the use of SAS’s JMP package, which enables users to interactively explore and visualize data. Students can buy their own copy of JMP at a reduced price via a postcard in the book. Practical Examples Show How the Methods Are Used in Action Drawing on the authors’ extensive application of statistical techniques in transportation research and teaching, this textbook explicitly defines the underlying assumptions of the techniques and shows how they are used in practice. It presents terms from both a statistical and a transportation perspective, making conversations between transportation professionals and statisticians smoother and more productive.