A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Community Health May 2012 / South Africa has seen a 23% rise in the annual numbers of fatalities due to road traffic accidents between 2001 and 2008. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are estimated to cost 1.5% of the Gross National Product (GNP) in middle-income countries like South Africa. In South Africa, 60% of all acute injuries are treated in a hospital, 75% of those in public facilities placing a significant burden on public hospitals. Generally there are no cost data available from the public hospital information systems as it not routinely collected, yet cost information is necessary for the purpose of accurate reimbursement from entities such as the Road Accident Fund (RAF) which provides medical insurance for all road users in South Africa.