A brief description of the joint Swedish project "Transportation of hazardous materials", aimed at developing a method for estimating the number of accidents which can be expected to occur in the course of transporting dangerous substances by road or railroad and the probability and costs of number of possible scenarios. Possible countermeasures in order to reduce the total risk potential are discussed, and the cost-effect analysis of a few of them are illustrated by means of an hypothetical case study. Factors which are of substantial importance in estimating risks and costs are identified, and further light is shed on the comparative risk coefficient of different substances. The method developed in this project should make it possible to analyse the risk arising from the transportation of dangerous substances by road and rail with greater precision than has been possible before. (A)
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