In most countries the total cost per fatality, adopted by official authorities, increased between 1990 and 1999. The mean cost was for the countries included in 1990 USD 0.9 million and for the countries included in 1999 USD 1.2 million (fixed prices). This increase is larger than the mean increase in GDP in these countries. One explanation for this increase is that more countries, in 1999, included the cost-element VOSL / human cost in the cost per fatality, which was one of the recommendations in COST 313 (1994). Moreover, the methods of evaluation have changed in some countries and thereby influenced the values. In average, revealed preference and meta-analysis yielded the highest values followed by estimations based on leisure time and contingent valuation. This relationship between cost per fatality and choice of valuation method was also pointed out by Elvik (1995), comparing official economic costs of a traffic accident fatality in 20 countries. The more recent estimation of VOSL / human cost has entailed a differentiation in the methods adopted. An increased use of contingent valuation and court compensation / insurance payments were seen in 1999. Also, methods not used in 1990 such as meta-analysis and standard gamble were adopted, sometimes to complement or validate the contingent valuation approach. Reviews of previous studies, meta-analysis, was for example conducted in the Netherlands, Norway and the US and a type of revealed preference was conducted in New Zealand. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD no 207828. The reprints are also available at the web - http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart1.pdf; http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart2.pdf and http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart3.pdf.
Abstract