Keith Vodden Dr. Douglas Smith - Transports Canada

Analysis and Estimation of the Social Cost of Motor Vehicle Collisions in Ontario
Enter
DFE
WTP-H
WTP-L
WTP-M
OTHER
For valuation method yielding
Discounted Future Earnings
High estimate using Willingness to Pay
Low estimate using Willingness to Pay
Medium estimate using Willingness to Pay
Analyst-specified values
The “OTHER” command allows the analyst to employ user-specified values for
human consequences. The analyst enters “OTHER” in cell A!D20 and a user-specified
Value for Social Life (VSL) into cell A!B36. All other values for human consequences
are calculated based on the VSL following the willingness-to-pay approach. In the current
model a VSL of $5,000,000 (2004 $) is used in the “OTHER” default setting.
3. Better/more recent data for social values
The remainder of Spreadsheet A lists data we gathered related to the social costs
of non-human consequences of collisions. If more recent or better data comes available
data in Spreadsheet A can be updated.
When such updates are made the analyst should ensure that values are recorded in
2004$ in Spreadsheet A. (Valued parameters to be expressed in 2004 $ are noted by a
boxed cell in Spreadsheet A.) This is because the model automatically adjusts all values
for the year that social costs are to be reported in (as discussed in Section 1 above) based
on values for each valued item reported in the common base of 2004 $. Price indices,
noted earlier, will assist in conversion from other base years to 2004 $.
B. CHANGES TO THE ONTARIO MODEL
The current model is base on data on the characteristics of motor vehicle
collisions in 2004. These unadjusted data originally obtained from ORSAR are entered
into Spreadsheet O1—unadjusted data.
Collision characteristics data can be replaced by similar data for other years. In so
doing the model automatically updates all calculations based on the new collision data
input into Spreadsheet O1. 1 For example data for 2005 can be input in place of the current
model’s 2004 data in Spreadsheet O1.
The analyst should also record the year that the new data represents in cell O1!A2.
This will automatically record the year for the collision data in other spreadsheets.
1
Note that unadjusted and adjusted data for Ontario collisions for 2004 are also recorded in Spreadsheet
B—Calculations. Calculations in the model are based on the data that appear in Spreadsheet B and should
not be altered.)
160 TNS Canadian Facts, Social and Policy Research