The economic costs of traffic accidents in Spain.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to evaluate the economic impact of traffic accidents in Spain during 1997.


METHODS
The cost-of-illness method was used. Direct costs were divided into health services costs, insurance administration costs, and the costs of the material damages to the vehicles. Indirect costs were obtained through transformation of physical units into monetary units using the approach based on the human capital theory.


RESULTS
The total cost of traffic accidents was 6,280.36 million euros, which amounts to 157.59 euros for each inhabitant in Spain and represents 1.35% of the gross national product. The total direct cost was 3,397.00 million euros, representing 54.1% of the total cost. The total indirect cost was 2,883.36 million euros, accounting for 45.9% of the total cost.


CONCLUSIONS
The high socioeconomic cost of traffic accidents clearly indicates the need for the different administrations in Spain to collaborate in implementing preventive measures.
Bastida
Julio López
JL
Servicio de Evaluación y Planificación, Servicio Canario de Salud, Canary Islands, Spain. jlopbas@gobiernodecanarias.org
Aguilar
Pedro Serrano
PS
González
Beatriz Duque
BD
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain