NTL Record

Title The costs of highway crashes.
Record ID 42122
Personal Name
Creator
Miller, T; Viner, J; Rossman, S; Pindus, N; Gellert, W; Douglass, J; Dillingham, A; Blomquist, G
Corporate Creator Urban Institute; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Publisher United States. Federal Highway Administration
Publication Date 19911201
Language English
Abstract In 1988, an estimated 14.8 million motor vehicle crashes involved 47,000 deaths and almost 5,000,000 injuries. More than 4.8 million years of life and functioning were lost. Crash costs totalled $334 billion. They included $71 billion in out-of pocket costs, $46 billion in wages and household production, and $217 billion in pain, suffering, and lost quality of life. Half of the out-of-pocket costs were property damage costs; the rest were medical, emergency services, workplace, travel delay, legal, and administrative costs. Employers paid 20% of the out-of-pocket and productivity costs. The general public paid 48%. People involved in crashes and their families paid the remainder and suffered the pain. The comprehensive costs presented here are appropriate for use in benefit-cost analysis. The costs/police-reported crash are $2,723,000/K-fatal, $229,000/A-incapacitating injury, $48,000/B-nonincapacitating injury, $25,000/C-possible injury, $4,500/O-property damage only (these crashes include injuries missed by the police), and $4,300/unreported crash. The most costly kinds of crashes include motorcycle, pedestrian, pedalcycle, alcohol-involved, and heavy truck. Minor rural collectors, local rural streets, and urban arterials are the most dangerous/vehicle-mile of travel (vmt). Motorcycles have safety costs of $2.14/vmt, buses $.24/vmt, heavy trucks $.19/vmt, light trucks $.16/vmt, and cars $.12/vmt. In nonfatal collisions involving only occupants, the most harmful events with the highest cost/injury involve, in order: trees, overturns, other fixed objects, and utility poles.
Rosap ID dot:9369
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9369
TRT Terms Crashes; Costs; Fatalities; Traffic crashes; Bicycle crashes; Motorcycle crashes; Pedestrian-vehicle crashes; Property; Trucks
Classification NTL - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE;
NTL - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE - Economic Impacts;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Highway Safety
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DTFH61-85-C-00107
Report Number FHWA-RD-91-055
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/42000/42100/42122/DOT-FHWA-RD-91-055.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository