The purpose of this study is to find more detailed information about the relations between road traffic accidents reported to the police and the whole traffic accident population. The questions to be investigated by the National Swedish Road Research Institute (VTI) are how far reported accidents are representative in various respects of the total accident population and what is the cost of road traffic accidents. This methodological study is based on interviews with persons who were selected from 1964 census papers and born between 1895 and 1948. The 1965 a total of 5444 "answers" were obtained concerning the years 1963 and 1964. 66 accidents were reported to the police, 180 (including some from police reports) to insurance companies, and about 200 went unofficially reported. Personal-injury accidents totalled 26 and property damage accidents 252, yeat 45% of the former and only 15% of the latter were reported. The estimated total numbers of personal-injury accidents was significantly higher than the corresponding number recorded by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The number of accidents was significantly greater in the under 26 group than in the over 25 group. The number of persons who had received sick benefits was 20.300 plus of minus 5.100. Among these, 7.800 had not reported their accidents to the police. Total cost of repairs and damages amounted to about 100 plus or minus 15 million dollars. These costs were significantly lower for accidents reported to police than to insurance companies. (A)
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