This case study used data held in CARE together with data available in the OECD's database IRTAD. It was carried out as a practical example to determine the feasibility of comparing fatality levels and trends in European Union countries using available exposure measures. Any study comparing international road accident figures faces difficulties in regards to different definitions and collection procedures. One major problem is the definition of injury categories which can lead to significant variation in the number of accidents reported. For this reason, international comparisons tend to focus on the number of fatal accidents and fatalities. Even the definition of a fatality can vary, most notably in how long after an accident a death can occur and be recorded as a road casualty. This varies from 24 hours to 30 days among E.U. member states. The correction coefficients used in the CARE system go some way to overcoming such differences. The definition of two-wheeled motor vehicles is fairly consistent across E.U. member states. For the purposes of this study, these vehicles are taken to include mopeds (defined as having an engine size of less than 50cc) and motorcycles (engine size over 50cc.). These vehicles nonetheless present particular problems when making international comparisons due to differences in vehicle registration and licence requirements. Such differences, particularly whether vehicles must be registered, also influence the availability of suitable exposure measures, such as the estimated number of vehicles on the road and the distance travelled by such vehicles. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting