Transport written question – answered at on 4 June 2007.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) fatal road traffic accidents, (b) serious road traffic accidents and (c) minor road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.
The values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the "Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/ea/.
Included within these values are the costs to public funds for medical, ambulance and police costs (emergency services). The estimated totals of such costs in each year since 1997 in Great Britain are set out in the following table.
Estimated cost of emergency services | |||
£ million | |||
Fatal accidents | Serious accidents | Slight accidents | |
2005 | 21 | 334 | 202 |
2004 | 21 | 349 | 201 |
2003 | 25 | 356 | 198 |
2002 | 25 | 366 | 198 |
2001 | 24 | 356 | 188 |
2000 | 14 | 360 | 190 |
1999 | 19 | 346 | 178 |
1998 | 24 | 346 | 167 |
1997 | 24 | 346 | 167 |
The values reported in the "Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" also cover a wide range of other costs incurred following accidents. These include the human costs of pain, grief and suffering, insurance and administrative costs, damage to property and lost output. Some element of these costs must be borne by the public sector, but reliable estimates as to the size of this burden are not available.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.