THE BENEFITS TO THE PUBLIC OF VEHICLE LEGISLATION - ATTEMPTS TO MEASURE THE UNMEASURABLE

Although inevitably there are grey areas, a distinction may be drawn between environmental disbenefits arising from vehicles which cause annoyance, such as noise, or loss of peace and quiet, vibration, visual intrusion, severance, and those which endanger "life and limb". Law implemented to reduce either category will inevitably generate costs. It is suggested that in evaluating legislation relating to environmental "nuisance," attempts should be made carefully to measure the benefits, while for legislation when "life and limb" is involved a cost-effectiveness approach should be adopted. Methods currently available to measure environmental nuisance arising from vehicles, for example opinion surveys, observing the effect of changes in some independent indicator, and simulation exercises, are critically examined. An attempt is made to highlight the dilemma that while benefits of environmental nuisance legislation should be carefully weighed against the anti-pollution costs, techniques currently available for measuring such benefits are very underdeveloped. Paradoxically, there is a far more clear-cut procedure for valuing benefits of policies affecting "life and limb". Official accident evaluation policy in the U.K. is described, and legislation affecting "life and limb" is examined. Finally, difficulties of effectively enforcing legislation of both environmental "nuisance" and "life and limb" categories are illustrated. /Author/TRRL/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00494488
• Corporate Authors:

  Elsevier

  Radarweg 29
  Amsterdam,   Netherlands  1043 NX
• Authors:
  • Jennings, T
• Publication Date: 1975-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 159-174
• Serial:
  • Transportation (Netherlands)
  • Volume: 4
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
  • ISSN: 0049-4488

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Annoyance; Benefit cost analysis; Benefits; Cost effectiveness; Costs; Crashes; Environment; Environmental impacts; Law enforcement; Laws; Legislation; Measurement; Methodology; Motor vehicles; Noise; Public health; Safety; Sound; Vehicles
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Motor vehicle laws & regulations; Nuisance
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1057: Air transport network; 1394: Catalytic converter; 224: Cost; 226: Cost benefit analysis; 1534: Enforcement (law); 1556: Legislation; 6748: Sound; 8119: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Environment; Finance; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00127801
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 7 1976 12:00AM