As of last Monday, 323 people had lost their lives in road accidents since the beginning of the year. In all of 2000, 511 people died in road accidents. In the first six months of 2001, 21,900 drivers, passengers, and pedestrians were injured.
Beyond the individual tragedies, road accidents carry a heavy economic price that can be measured in numbers. A Ministry of Transport Road Safety Authority report coldly calculates how much each death and each casualty costs us.
Fatal road accidents, the kind that happen in Israel daily, with two people killed and a third badly injured, cost more than NIS 6.5 million. A pedestrian who is run down and killed costs the State NIS 3 million. Accidents involving a slight injury to one passenger cost NIS 23,450.
However, the cost of pain, suffering, and sorrow of the victims' family and friends are not included in these figures.
Estimates of the damage caused by road accidents are based on two main criteria: The cost of the incident and the cost of the injury. The former includes damage to the vehicle, the cost of dealing with the authorities, etc.
The report calculates the cost of accidents by multiplying the number of those injured by a fixed cost, depending on the type of injury, of dealings with the police, courts, insurance, etc. The costs were calculated according to the per capita GDP from August 1997 - that is, NIS 58,800.
An accident involving one vehicle, occurring on an intercity road during the day time, in which one passenger is slightly injured costs NIS 23,400. If two passengers are slightly injured, the cost rises to NIS 27,500. This cost does not take into consideration the cost of delayed traffic caused by the accident, which could have a considerably high economic impact.
A severe accident is defined as one involving a serious injury, requiring hospitalization for at least 24 hours. Damage to property and other damage constitute a sizable part of the cost. For example, the cost of a rear-end collision at night on a road with a divider between the two directions, in which two people are injured, is an estimated NIS 562,000.
The cost of an accident in which a pedestrian is badly injured is estimated at NIS 837,000. The most costly type of accident is a head-on collision, resulting in a seriously injured person. In this case, the cost could reach NIS 1.2 million.
Fatal road accidents are defined as accidents that result in the death of one or more people within thirty days of the incident. The cost is calculated based on the person’s age. People’s lives are highly valued, even if their needs outweigh their productivity.
Based on this calculation, the report shows that the cost of an accident involving a head-on collision on a road with a divider to separate the two-way traffic, in which two people are killed and a third seriously wounded, could reach NIS 6.65 million.
The figures have been revised since the research was conducted. However, even a rough estimate of tens of thousands of accidents every year, resulting in thousands of injured and hundreds of dead, puts the damage at billions of shekels a year. This could be averted by building infrastructures, launching safety campaigns, and stepping up enforcement.
Israel Police hopes the decision makers and the general public, who are perhaps used to shocking pictures in the media, will now be moved by the astronomical sums going to waste each year.
| Sharp 22% drop in road accident casualties in January-June 2001 Despite a number of severe accidents recently, the number of casualties in road accidents in January-June 2001 dropped 22%. The Israel Police traffic department reports a 24% decline in the number of road accidents and of 22% in the number of casualties this year, compared with the corresponding period last year. However, the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents in this period declined only 4%. The traffic department data show a downturn in the number of accidents, and in the number of deaths and casualties in the past four years, since the department was set up. A 30% decrease in road accidents has been reported since July 31, following a widespread police campaign. In the first six months of 2001, 21,910 people were injured in 10,618 road accidents. 294 were killed, compared with 306 in the corresponding period last year. The number of intercity road accidents fell 24.3% and the number of casualties caused by these accidents fell 25.4%. However, the number of fatalities rose 4%. The number of urban road accidents fell 24% and the number of casualties caused by them fell by a similar percentage. The number of fatalities fell 21.5%. Private cars, which accounted for 46% of the injured and 32% of the deaths, were involved in the most car accidents. 30% of those killed were pedestrians and 27% were passengers, while only 6% were motorbike riders. In January-June 2001, the number of people killed by collisions rose 4.5%. The number of road accidents involving pedestrians fell 14.5%. The number of fatalities caused by one-car accidents fell 16.6%. The main reasons for road accidents were swerving from the driving lane (22% of accidents); excess speed (16%); and poor behavior by pedestrians (15%). Last year, Israel Police wrote 1.6 million traffic tickets, 17.5% of which were for speeding, while 11% were automatically produced through electronic enforcement devices at various locations. 59% of the traffic tickets were issued to private car owners, 22% to commercial vehicle owners, 7% to trucks, 4% to taxis, and 2% to buses. In the first half of 2001, 2,350 people volunteered to be traffic police, compared with 2,190 in 2000. As “Globes” has reported, the traffic department is preparing a “railways police” unit in conjunction with Israel Railways. The new unit will protect railway lines, railway crossings, and passengers. |
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 23 August, 2001