Traffic exposure is one input
A traffic count measures vehicles on a defined road section or at a count point over a defined period or estimate. It does not measure wash customers, car-wash revenue or buyer demand. The useful question is whether the selected evidence describes traffic that can realistically reach this site.
INDOT uses continuous and coverage counting methods and publishes tools for traffic research. Record count type/year and the relevant station or segment rather than copying a number from a map without context.
Choose the count that describes the entrance
Mainline interstate traffic can be close to a parcel but unrelated to its frontage or turn movements. Check the road, direction, intersection, median, legal access and any circulation limitations. A higher count from a different corridor is not a better comparable.
The market directory offers dated station-inventory references near Census place points. Those references are navigation aids, not published AADT values or proof that the station represents any property. Obtain the appropriate count record for the actual site.
| Field | Why to record it |
|---|---|
| Station/segment and location | Connects the number to a specific road observation |
| Count year and type | Distinguishes an observed period from an adjusted annual estimate |
| Direction and vehicle classification | Helps avoid using irrelevant traffic exposure |
| Site access | Evaluates turns, visibility, queues and circulation separately |
| Operating evidence | Tests whether the location’s actual revenue story reconciles |
Use geography without inventing a trade area
A city boundary is not automatically a customer drive-time area. A place-center point is not a car wash address. Map actual routes, access and relevant competing formats before assuming a circular radius describes the business.
For an illustrative comparison, one site might have a lower frontage count but easy access, while another has more nearby traffic and difficult turning movements. The evidence does not justify a universal conversion percentage for either.
Connect the finding to underwriting
Record what the count can support, what remains unknown and how the operating data addresses the uncertainty. Traffic evidence can inform a site review; cash flow still needs actual sales, costs, membership and equipment records.
Do not multiply AADT by a generic capture rate and call the result verified revenue. If you run such a scenario, label every assumption and test it against site evidence.
Sources and scope
Public guidance reviewed October 17, 2026. Rules and individual transaction facts can change; a source does not establish a particular property’s compliance, financing approval or value.