This is one of 28 reports that provide the background for the Genuine Progress Indicators (GPI) System of Sustainable Well-being Accounts. It explains how we derived the index that was earlier published in Sustainability Trends 2000: The Genuine Progress Statement for Alberta, 1961 to 1999. The research for this report was completed near the end of 2000.
This report examines the trends in deaths and injuries due to auto crashes in Alberta from 1961 to 1999. It also estimates the full direct and indirect costs of auto crashes during this time period. In the GPI accounting system, auto crashes are considered a regrettable cost to human health and social well-being. Current national income accounting treats private and public expenditures related to auto crashes as positive contributions to economic growth rather than regrettable depreciation of quality of life and human capital. This report and the GPI accounting system attempt to measure these impacts in a more holistic accounting of genuine well-being that is otherwise lacking in GDP accounting. The incidence of auto crashes is among a series of social and human health indicators in the 51-indicator GPI accounts for Alberta. This report is a first step towards a more complete and holistic full impact analysis of auto crashes in Alberta and serves as a benchmark study for other Canadian provinces. We welcome more research and input to our initial steps.
