A comparison of bus passengers' and car drivers' valuation of casualty risk reductions in their routes. (January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Flügel, Stefan; Veisten, Knut; Rizzi, Luis I.; de Dios Ortúzar, Juan; Elvik, Rune
• Is Part Of: Accident analysis and prevention. Volume 122(2019)
• Page Start: 63
• Page End: 75
• Publication Date: 2019-01
• Subjects: Choice experiment -- Contingent valuation -- Fatality -- Injury -- Insecurity -- Time saving; Accidents -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Accident Prevention -- Periodicals; Accidents -- Prévention -- Périodiques; 363.106
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.09.028
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-4575

Abstract

Highlights: Bus passengers and car drivers stated their preferences for road safety projects. Two different stated preference methods were applied. Bus passengers' valuation was lower. The difference is statistically significantly with 4 of 6 modelling approaches. However, the derived VSL are statistically similar. Abstract: Introduction: The economic value of safety represents an important guide to transport policy, and more studies on individuals' valuation of road safety are called for. This paper presents a stated preference study of the value of preventing fatal and serious injuries involving bus passengers and car drivers in road accidents. Objectives: Former valuation studies based on travel behaviour and route choice have involved primarily car drivers. Our study also included bus passengers, thus providing a comparison of two types of transport mode users. Moreover, the comparison was based on two different valuation methods. Methodology: About 600 bus passengers and nearly 2300 car users from different areas of Norway reported a recent trip, described by its distance and travel cost. Then they answered stated choice tasks that took a reference in the reported trip and involved trade-offs among travel time, fatal and seriously injured victims and travel costs. Afterwards, they faced a simple trade-off between travel costs, and fatal and seriously injured victims. Findings: Pooling the data from the two stated preference formats, we derived values of a statistical life and of a statistical seriously injured victim. Regarding the value of statistical life, our point estimates were NOK 45.5 million and NOK 58.3 million for bus users and car users respectively. Discussion: The point estimates for bus passengers and car users were not statistically different given their confidence intervals. Thus, we recommend the use of a single value, identical for both modes of transport, for the prevention of a statistical fatality as well as for a statistical injury