Accident Costs: Details of Calculations
Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2017
Accident Costs: Details of Calculations
The Department for Transport estimate the values assigned to the cost of road casualties and accidents in Great Britain, for use in cost-benefit analysis of the prevention of road casualties and accidents in road schemes.
The valuation of casualty costs calculated for Great Britain for all levels of severity are based on a willingness to pay human cost approach. This is intended to encompass all aspects of the costs of casualties including both the human cost and the direct economic cost.
Types of Costs
The human cost covers an amount to reflect the pain, grief and suffering to the casualty, relatives and friends, and, for fatal casualties, the intrinsic loss of enjoyment of life over and above the consumption of goods and services. The economic cost covers loss of output due to injury and medical costs.
The cost of an accident also includes:
- the cost of damage to vehicles and property; and
- the cost of police and insurance administration.
A summary of the DfT's latest findings can be found in Reported Road Casualties GB: 2017.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2017
Scotland analysis
The average cost per accident in Scotland and the total cost of all accidents in Scotland are presented in Tables 10 and 11. These are calculated using the GB casualty costs and the number of casualties by severity in accidents in Scotland. The average costs per accident for Great Britain and Scotland differ because of differences in the average numbers of casualties per accident, and the proportions of fatal and serious casualties in an accident.
Also estimated are the number of damage only accidents and their average costs.
Figures are presented in constant 2017 prices. Therefore estimates of values in earlier years have been calculated by applying 2017 values to previous years.
Further information the methodology can be obtained from the DfT:
Integrated Transport Economics and Appraisal DivisionDepartment for Transport
Zone 3/04
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR
Email: itea@dft.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7944 6177