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Traffic Safety and Human Capital

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Guy Cox

    (Department of Economics, Arizona State University)

  • Darren Grant

    (Department of Economics and International Business, Sam Houston State University)

Abstract

This paper documents a large educational gradient in traffic fatality rates and investigates its source. Compared to individuals with a college education, those with at most a high school diploma are more than four times as likely to die in a traffic accident, a gradient exceeding that for all-cause mortality. More educated individuals’ health behaviors, such as drinking or seat belt use, support this gradient. A panel analysis of data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System indicates that this gradient is, to a small degree, causal, particularly for males, who cause most traffic accidents.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Guy Cox & Darren Grant, 2017. "Traffic Safety and Human Capital," Working Papers 1701, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:shs:wpaper:1701
    as

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    File URL: http://www.shsu.edu/academics/economics-and-international-business/documents/wp_series/wp17-01_paper.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    human capital; traffic safety;

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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