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Report
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-05-051
Date: October 2005

Crash Cost Estimates by Maximum Police-Reported Injury Severity Within Selected Crash Geometries

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Foreword

In conventional traffic safety evaluations, the outcome measure is typically the frequency of police-reported crashes, often with separate estimates for different severity levels. However, some treatments may decrease some crash types but increase others. If these crash types are characterized by different average injury severities, then comparing crash frequencies will not provide the user with an accurate picture of treatment effectiveness. Such a scenario led to the development of the crash cost estimates by crash geometry described in this report.

This paper presents estimates for the economic (human capital) and comprehensive costs per crash for six KABCO groupings (used by police to classify injury) within 22 selected crash types and within two speed limit categories (<=72 kilometers per hour (km/h) (<=45 miles per hour (mi/h)) and >=80 km/h (>= 80 / 50 mi/h)). The comprehensive costs include nonmonetary losses. To produce these cost estimates, previously developed costs per victim keyed on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) injury severity scale were merged into U.S. traffic crash data files that scored injuries in both AIS and KABCO scales to produce per crash estimates. The detailed estimates of this study make it possible to include crash severity comparisons in the analysis of different types of crashes by attaching costs to them, and to do so in 2001 dollars.

Michael Trentacoste, Director

Office of Safety Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

1. Report No.

FHWA-HRT-05-051

2. Government Accession No.

N/A

3. Recipient's Catalog No.

N/A

4. Title and Subtitle

Crash Cost Estimates by Maximum Police-Reported Injury Severity Within Selected Crash Geometries

5. Report Date

October 2005

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Authors(s)

Forrest Council, Eduard Zaloshnja, Ted Miller, Bhagwant Persaud

8. Performing Organization Report No.

N/A

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Forrest Council, PhD, BMI-SG, Vienna, VA

Eduard Zaloshnja, Phd and Ted Miller, Phd, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD

Bhagwant Persuad, Phd, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

N/A

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-96-C-00077

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

November 2001-November 2004

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes

The Contractor Officer's Technical Representative on this project was Michael S. Griffith.

16. Abstract

This paper presents estimates for the economic (human capital) and comprehensive costs per crash for six KABCO groupings within 22 selected crash types and within two speed limit categories (<=72 kilometers per hour (km/h) (<=45 miles per hour (mi/h)) and >=80 km/h (>= 80 / 50 mi/h)). The comprehensive costs include nonmonetary losses. To produce these cost estimates, previously developed costs per victim keyed on the AIS injury severity scale were merged into U.S. traffic crash data files that scored injuries in both AIS and KABCO scales to produce per crash estimates. The detailed estimates of this study make it possible to include crash severity comparisons in the analysis of different types of crashes by attaching costs to them, and to do so in 2001 dollars.

17. Key Words

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions. This document is available to the Public through the National Technical Information Service; Springfield, VA 22161

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified 

21. No. of Pages

75

22. Price

N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized (art. 5/94)

Table of Contents

List of Tables

Table 1. Level 2 crash cost estimates categorized by speed limit.

Table 2. Level 1 by speed limit.

Table 3. Level 1 without speed limit.

Table 4. Level 2 by speed limit.

Table 5. Level 2 without speed limit.

Table 6. Level 3A by speed limit.

Table 7. Level 3A without speed limit.

Table 8. Level 3B by speed limit.

Table 9. Level 3B without speed limit.

Table 10. Level 4 by speed limit.

Table 11. Level 4 without speed limit.

Table 12. Level 5 with speed limit.

Table 13. Level 5 without speed limit.

Table 14. Level 6 with speed limit.

Table 15. Level 6 without speed limit.

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