The cost of road accidents is an important and controversial issue. However, it is difficult to derive an acceptable measure of these costs, and it has been some years since an attempt has been made to quantify these costs to Australia. This Paper presents a discussion of the methodologies used to produce estimates of the cost of road accidents (or the value of reducing their number), focusing on the major issues of contention, and provides estimates for Australia for the year 1985.

• Cost of Road Accidents in Australia
  
  op_091.pdf
  (7.4 MB)

This supplementary Information Paper details the social costs of road crashes in Australia for 1988. Estimates of the social cost of road crashes, reflects not only on the costs borne by crash victims, but also those costs imposed on the wider community.

• Costs of Road Crashes in Australia–1988: Supplementary Information
  
  is_002.pdf
  (202.54 KB)

This study has refined the methodology and expanded the scope of a previous Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics study on the cost of road accidents in Australia. The human capital approach has been used in this study to estimate the social cost of road, rail, aviation and maritime accidents in Australia in 1988.

• Social Cost of Transport Accidents in Australia
  
  report_079.pdf
  (5.87 MB)

Road crashes cost Australia $6.1 billion in 1993. Road crash costs account for over 90% of the total cost of transport-related accidents in Australia.

• Cost of Road Crashes in Australia–1993
  
  is_004.pdf
  (753.44 KB)

This Paper presents the results of an evaluation of 51 'Black Spot' projects funded by the Australian Government, 26 in Victoria and 25 in New South Wales. The evaluation was based on the record of accidents before and after approved treatments were put in place. In order to isolate actual treatment effects, adjustments were made to take account of the major recent decline in accidents in suitable control areas.

• Cost–Effectiveness of 'Black Spot' Treatments : A Pilot Study
  
  wp_009.pdf
  (3.57 MB)

This study evaluates the economic benefits of the Federal Government's Black Spot Program. The study assesses the crash reduction benefits of a variety of road engineering treatments based on a sample of 254 projects drawn from all States and Territories.

• Evaluation of the Black Spot Program
  
  report_090.pdf
  (1.85 MB)

The value of transport safety is an important input to decisions on policies and investments with safety implications and for measuring the burden of transport accidents to the community. There are a number of approaches which may be used in valuing transport safety. The purpose of this Working Paper is to provide an appraisal of the approaches available and issues involved in valuing transport safety along with a survey of international developments.

• Valuing Transport Safety in Australia
  
  wp_026.pdf
  (5.43 MB)

During the 1990s, around 2000 people per year died and over 20 000 per year sustained serious injuries on Australian roads. When the human cost is considered in combination with associated property damage and the costs of the infrastructure required to deal with road crashes, it is clear that society bears a huge overall cost. Determining the magnitude of this cost and its components provides a better understanding of the benefits of activities that reduce the incidence and severity of road crashes.

• Road Crash Costs in Australia
  
  report_102.pdf
  (764 KB)

The Federal Government has, since 1990–91, allocated substantial resources through its Black Spot Program to reduce the number and severity of crashes at black spot locations as part of its overall road safety strategy. Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics (BTCE) Report 90 Evaluation of the Black Spot Program published in 1995 evaluated the program that operated from 1990–91 to 1992–93 inclusive.

• The Black Spot Program 1996–2002: An Evaluation of the First Three Years
  
  report_104.pdf
  (4.45 MB)

On rural roads, the speed that a driver chooses will affect their travel time, vehicle operating costs and crash costs. Recent Austroads valuations of these costs are used in this paper to estimate the total economic cost to society of travelling at different speeds on roads with different crash rates. Critical in this analysis is estimating the change in crash cost that would result from a change in vehicle speeds. This report assumes a 10 km/h change in average speeds produces a 30% change in crash costs based on international evidence. For a hypothetical mix of cars and trucks on a rural road with an average crash cost, the speed that produces the lowest total of travel time cost, vehicle operating cost and crash cost is between 90 and 100 km/h. On a hypothetical road with a low crash rate (and a crash cost one quarter of the average), the optimum speed is between 110 and 120 km/h. Achieving different speed regimes is not just a matter of changing the posted speed limit. The paper concludes by suggesting that ITS technology could be used to vary and manage speeds.

• Road Speed Limits: Economic Effects of Allowing more Flexibility
  
  wp_059.pdf
  (274.7 KB)