This paper reports the results of several studies the aims of which were to determine the cost, prevalence, frequency of reporting and disability associated With whiplash associated disorders.

In 1982 the World Health Authority concluded that previous studies on the costs of road traffic accidents "had been based on cost of deaths and in-patient treatment, and had neglected to examine the cost of long term disability to the community" (WHO 1982). During the past 12 years We, with the Transport Research Laboratories and the Department of Transport, have tried to evaluate the cost of road traffic accidents, paying particular attention to Whiplash associated disorders and looking at the cost of the residual disability.