What do traffic crashes cost

Its findings: the total annual cost of motor vehicle crashes, in economic losses and societal harm, came to billion dollars in This figure represented a 20 percent increase from its estimate of such costs in Assuming this trend continues, our society will soon suffer a trillion dollars a year in losses due to negligent drivers.

How many victims? About half of those deaths are pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles who are hit by red light runners. Smaller, less populated states may have lower overall costs, but they may also have fewer resources to draw on. Differences between states may also result from different reporting practices that result in more or less complete reporting of injuries from state to state. What you pay for auto insurance is largely based on what kind of risk the company predicts you will be, based on known factors like your driving history, the kind of car you drive, your age and gender, your marital status and where you live.

Speeding was a contributing factor in 29 percent of all fatal crashes in In about 35 percent of both 15 to year-old and 21 to year old male drivers who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash. A study by the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation found that 37 percent of drivers report having fallen asleep behind the wheel at some point in their lives.

An estimated 21 percent of fatal crashes, 13 percent of crashes resulting in severe injury and 6 percent of all crashes, involve a drowsy driver, according to a study by the AAA.

Results of a November AAA survey showed that Distracted Driving: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA gauges distracted driving by collecting data on "distraction-affected crashes," which focuses on distractions that are most likely to affect crash involvement such as dialing a cellphone or texting and being distracted by another person or an outside event.

In , 3, people were killed in distraction-affected crashes, and , people were injured. Robert Gordon, senior vice president for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told a safety forum that the increase in distracted driving isn't spread evenly across the country. He said insurers are seeing bigger increases in the frequency of auto collisions in urban areas where traffic congestion is getting worse, and declines in area where congestion is less of a problem.

The analysis relied on insurance data on collisions and Federal Highway Administration data on congestion, Gordon said. Privacy Policy Site Map. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.