Citation

Tay R. Appl. Health Econ. Health Policy 2002; 1(3): 129-134.

Affiliation

Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, Queensland University of Technology, Carseldine, Qld 4034, Australia. r.tay@qut.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14619263

Abstract

In an effort to reduce road trauma, traffic authorities in Australia and New Zealand have implemented a series of countermeasures aimed primarily at reducing road fatalities. Although the social cost associated with fatal crashes is significant, it nevertheless constitutes a relatively small portion of the total social cost of road crashes. Since the relative influences of the contributing factors to fatal crashes may not be the same as those for less severe crashes, an overemphasis on fatal crashes may not result in an optimal allocation of scarce road safety resources.