Analysis of Factors and Cost of Motorcycle Accidents using Willingness-to-Pay Approach (Case Study: Golestan Province, Iran)

In this research, we employed the willingness-to-pay (WTP) approach using the contingent valuation (CV) and payment card questionnaire to estimate the cost of fatalities caused by motorcycle accidents in Golestan province, Iran. Adopting multiple linear regression analysis, we analyzed the factors influencing motorcyclists’ WTP, including socio-economic characteristics, travel behavior, motorcycle riding behavior, and past accident experiences. The value of statistical life (VSL) was calculated from 20,618 million IRR** (US$ 187,441) to 50,966 million IRR (US$ 463,325). Therefore, the total cost of death caused by motorcycle accidents was estimated to range from 3,319 billion IRR (US$ 30.17 million) to 8,205 billion IRR (US$ 74.6 million) in 2019. The significant factors affecting the WTP for using safety measures were education, occupation, household income, and dramatic movement while riding a motorcycle, being the primary breadwinner, parents’ education, and motorcycle engine, frequency of using a motorcycle, helmet usage, and perception of safety level as a motorcyclist.