According to the WHO, road accidents are about to become the world’s third largest public health problem. In referring to this, Dr. Fridstrøm advocated in his presentation the implementation of a road safety policy based on scientific knowledge, as summarised in the The Handbook of Road Safety Measures authored by TØI researchers Elvik and Vaa. Dr. Elvik followed up with a brief presentation of the Handbook, which is now also available in Spanish. A copy of the Spanish version was cordially handed over to the Chilean Director of Public Roads, Mr. Carlos Rubilar.
Two weeks before, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), Dr. Elvik had given a more comprehensive course in road safety analysis based on his Handbook.
Researchers at PUC and TØI are also cooperating to develop more reliable methods of valuation for use in cost-benefit analysis. A particularly intriguing issue is how to value the loss a human life or the risk of injury in a road accident. In his speech, Dr. Fridstrøm referred to the excellent reputation enjoyed by Chilean transport researchers and to the opportunity of fruitful scientific cooperation between the two countries.
