Written question asked by Owen Paterson (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 May 2007. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Monday, 4 June 2007 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Accidents

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost to the public purse of each (a) fatal road traffic accident, (b) serious road traffic accident and (c) minor road traffic accident was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answer: 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 average medical, ambulance, and police costs assumed in the Highways Economic Note No.1 for 2005 are as follows:"For a fatal accident: £7,110""For a serious accident: £13,360""For a slight accident: £1,180""(2005 prices)"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.

Secondary information