Accidents Cost US $99 Billion in One Year

Accidents Cost US $99 Billion in One Year

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has analyzed the cost of traffic accidents in the year 2005, and come up with a staggering estimate-$99 billion.

That’s right.Fatal and non-fatal injurious accidents including car, motorcycle, truck, bicycle and pedestrian accidents cost the American economy $99 billion in 2005.Mind-boggling as that number is, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.According to the CDC, it does not include other factors that could increase accident costs, like the increase in insurance premiums after an accident and an increase in taxes.

Not surprisingly, motor vehicle accidents involving cars, sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks were the most expensive, accounting for $70 billion in costs in 2005.Motorcyclists racked up costs of $12 billion, while the accident costs of pedestrians and bicyclists touched $10 billion and $5 billion respectively.

The costs from teen-related accidents were completely out of proportion with these motorists’ share of the US population.In 2005, teen drivers accounted for just about 14% of the American population, but fatal and non-fatal injurious accidents involving these drivers accounted for $30 billion in costs.That’s 31% of all accident-related costs in 2005.

The statistics make for fascinating reading, but the advice that the CDC gives to minimize accident rates, reduce fatalities and injuries, and lower costs, is the kind that Atlanta auto accident lawyers routinely dish out.

· Enact primary seat belt laws and enforce these strongly.

· Focus on parental education about the correct installation of child car safety seats and increased use of these safety devices.

· Strengthen Graduated Driver’s Licensing policies, to allow teen motorists more experience on the road in low-risk situations, before allowing them to have full driving privileges.

· Mandate helmets for all motorcyclists and helmets.

· Increase concentrations of sobriety checkpoints.