• 25
  • August
    2010

Even seasoned Baton Rouge car accident attorneys have been surprised by a new study from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention that estimates the cost of medical care and lost productivity at over $99 billion every year for motor vehicle accidents in the United States.

On average, the CDC estimates that every licensed driver in the U.S. is paying $500 every year toward the nearly $100 billion cost. The study used data from 2005 because that was the most recent year with data from multiple sources.

$70 billion (or 71 percent of total costs) were for accidents involving cars or light trucks, $12 billion was spent on motorcycle accidents, $10 billion for pedestrian accidents, and $5 billion for bicycle accidents, the study said.

The CDC study also found:

 

  • Motorcyclists made up 6 percent of all fatalities and injuries but 12 percent of the costs, probably due to the severity of their injuries. Pedestrians, who have no protection when they are hit by vehicles and are also often severely injured, made up 5 percent of all injuries but 10 percent of total costs.
  • More men were killed (70 percent) and injured (52 percent) in motor vehicle crashes than women. Teens and young adults made up 28 percent injuries and cost $31 billion. These young people are only 14 percent of the U.S. population.
  • The cost of fatalities was $58 billion. Non-fatal accidents cost $28 billion. The total for ER treatment was $14 billion.

The CDC recommends:

  • Graduated driver licensing (GDL) policies:
  • Increased use of correctly installed and fitted child safety seats 
  • Primary seat belt laws, meaning police can stop a vehicle for having occupants without seat belts on, and the officer does not need another reason to stop the vehicle. 
  • Enhanced seat belt enforcement programs
  • Motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws
  • Sobriety checkpoints

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "CDC Study Finds Annual Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes Exceeds $99 Billion" August 25, 2010