SAFETY IN TRANSPORT: DIFFICULTIES OF A MULTIMODAL APPROACH

SECURITE DANS LES TRANSPORTS: LES DIFFICULTES D'UNE APPROCHE MULTIMODALE

This paper aims to open a debate on the theme of a multimodal approach to safety, in the light of some methodological difficulties arising from research by the author and others on safety in transport investments. Comparisons between different modes need to take account of both the prevention of casualties by improving the road network and the increase of rail and air transport costs and fares due to spending on safety. To avoid the possibility that concern for safety unintentionally encourages travel on the most dangerous mode because the safety modes are perceived to be too expensive, decision making tools should be developed to support an overall transport policy and increase the number of multimodal approaches. The paper aims to evaluate the 'bonus', which could be allocated to a mode because of its safety, in a situation where transport modes compete. The first part discusses both comparative and collective approaches to risk differentials between different modes, allowing for a mode's risk of killing as well as a mode's risk of being killed; it also summarises some relevant figures of risk for different modes in France. The second part discusses two approaches to assessing the value of human life: through sums which the public is prepared to spend in accident prevention, and through estimates of the economic and social cost of death once an accident has occurred. The author concludes that, in France, present annual safety expenditures are far below the annual costs of casualties in all transport modes, and should be substantially increased. He proposes several areas for further research. This article was originally published in recherche-transports-securite, 1987-12, no 16, 13-22.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Beauvais, J-M
• Publication Date: 0

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 25 p.
• Serial:
  • TRRL TRANSLATION
  • Issue Number: T344
  • Publisher: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Costs; Crashes; Evaluation and assessment; Fatalities; Hazards; Investments; Prevention; Risk assessment; Safety; Sociology; Translations; Transportation; Transportation modes
• Geographic Terms: France
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00486981
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: 8
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1989 12:00AM