An estimate of the unit cost of road traffic collisions in South Africa for 1998

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 study was done in two phases. In phase 1 the methodology for the estimation of the costs of collisions was reviewed, and proposals were made for updating South African estimates. Phase 2 involved the actual estimation of collisions costs. Relevant aspects relating to phase 2 are documented in this report.