The aim of the project described in this report has been to develop a method for a) estimating the number of accidents which can be expected to occur in the course of transporting dangerous substances by road and railroad, b) estimating the probabilities of a number of possible event sequences/scenarios which may occur as the result of an accident and providing estimates of the expected consequences of each scenario, and c) calculating the expected costs of accidents due to the transportation of dangerous substances by road and railroad.

Possible countermeasures in order to reduce risk have been discussed, and cost/effect analyses of a few of these countermeasures have been illustrated by means of a fictitious case study.

Factors which carry a great weight when risks and costs are estimated have been identified, and further light has been shed on the comparative ”dangerousness” of different substances. The economic costs of accidents which could be expected due to the transportation of hazardous materials by road and rail were found to be comparatively small. The results from the fictitious case study cannot be taken as evidence of any general differences in risk levels between road and rail transport of dangerous substances. Rather, the most suitable mode of transport must be determined separately for each specific transportation task.