THE INCLUSION OF ACCIDENT SAVINGS IN HIGHWAY COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

After discussing the reasons why highway cost-benefit analyses usually exclude savings based on reductions in road accidents, this paper presents results of work performed in several countries that considers these savings. During the past decade, there has been increasing awareness of the seriousness of the road accident problem in developing countries. The Overseas Unit of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory is preparing a manual on how to cost road accidents. Although changes in accident rates, following a specific road improvement, are difficult to quantify, analysis can be used to determine the possible benefits over a range of likely outcomes. The paper presents several case studies where this approach has been used. The results of these analyses indicate that the size of accident costs and the values of accident prevention almost always significantly affect: (1) the ranking of alternative transport projects in terms of net present value within mutually exclusive groups; (2) the magnitude of net benefits generated by any given project. Thus the 'appropriate' costs to associate with specific types of accident are potentially very important indeed. Paper presented at the Second ECA/OECD African Road Safety Congress, Addis Ababa, 16-20th October 1989.

• Corporate Authors:

  United Nations

  Economic Commission for Africa, P.O. Box 3001
  Addis Ababa,   Ethiopia 

  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

  2, rue André Pascal
  Paris,   France  75775 Paris Cedex 16
• Authors:
  • JACOBS, G D
• Publication Date: 1989

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 11 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Conferences; Crashes; Developing countries; Highways; Improvements; Planning
• Geographic Terms: Cyprus; India; Jordan
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 8525: Conference; 226: Cost benefit analysis; 8026: Cyprus; 150: Developing countries; 2755: Highway; 9108: Improvement; 8045: India; 8054: Jordan; 143: Planning
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00498537
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM