Methodology for the determination of the unit cost of road traffic collisions in South Africa as an input into economic evaluation

Abstract

Road traffic collision result in both human loss and cost to the company. Government and other role players addressing this problem require reliable information on the cost of collisions to the economy. Collisions costs are also used in the economic evaluation of project proposals and it is essential that up-to-date information be available. The last South African study undertaken to estimate these costs was in 1992 using 1991 data. The occurrence of structural economic changes since that time have rendered the results of that study unreliable. The report reviews the methodology for the estimation of the costs of collisions, including the methodologies used for the earlier South African studies between 1962 and 1996, and the state-of-the-art of collision cost estimation internationally. The study makes proposals for upgrading South African estimates, using information sources which include statistics South Africa, the National Traffic Information Systems, short-term insurance companies, the Road Accident Fund road operators.