Gasoline prices and road fatalities: International evidence

Paul J. Burke, Shuhei Nishitateno

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study utilizes data for 144 countries from 1991 to 2010 to present the first international estimates of the gasoline price elasticity of road fatalities. We instrument each country's gasoline price with that country's oil reserves and the yearly international crude oil price to address potential endogeneity concerns. Our findings suggest that the average reduction in road fatalities resulting from a 10% increase in the gasoline pump price is in the order of 3%-6%. Around 35,000 road deaths per year could be avoided by the removal of global fuel subsidies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1437-1450
Number of pages14
JournalEconomic Inquiry
Volume53
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2015

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