Evaluation of Accident-Induced Indirect Costs for Measuring Penalties on Violations of Laws

Abstract

Traffic accidents cause significant economic losses, which include not only direct costs, such as damage to vehicles and road facilities, but also indirect costs, such as traffic delays for other travelers. For severe accidents involving violations of laws, the direct economic loss is trivial compared with the indirect economic loss resulting from long hours of congestion and large numbers of affected travelers. Drivers who violate transportation laws should be subject to legal liabilities for both direct and indirect economic losses. To calculate the penalties for violating laws related to traffic accidents, it is important to establish a standard for evaluating the indirect costs of accidents. A general framework for estimating accident-induced indirect costs is proposed. As a key component of the estimation procedures, the delay estimation can be conducted by reconstructing the spatial–temporal traffic flow evolutions on the basis of intelligent transportation system sensors or archived data, or both. The proposed evaluation methodology, which measures on-site arrival–departure cumulative flows and speeds, was compared with the spatial–temporal traffic state evolution approach. As a case study, the proposed approach was applied to two severe traffic accidents that occurred on the G6 Highway (Beijing–Tibet Highway). The promising results verify the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed procedures. The analytic study results also support drafting the related national standard in China.