In addition to the immediate physical injuries they suffer, road accident victims may also be subject to ongoing deterioration of their state of health in terms of permanent physical and mental problems, disabilities, etc. These various health shocks entail recourse to care and treatment, the upshot being increases in health expenses. In France little is known about the financial impact of accidents on victims. This paper uses data from a sample of 777 individuals suffering from road accident-induced physical impairment. Information about these individuals includes details of their personal and socioprofessional characteristics, together with data provided by their health insurance offices regarding their use of treatment and their medical expenses. The analysis of these data reveals that the costs incurred by road accident victims are significantly associated with such factors as age, seriousness of impairment, and marital status. Interaction effects are also noted between these explanatory factors: for example, the effect of the seriousness of impairment on the costs involved differs according to the age of the victim.
