Traffic Accidents Cost You $1,051 per Year

Posted on March 7, 2008 
Filed Under GENERAL, IN THE NEWS

The American Automobile Assoication (AAA) released a research report this week, which concludes that traffic accidents cost American motorists $160 billion a year. That breaks down to $1,051 per year, per motorist. This includes such things as property damage, lost earnings, medical costs, emergency services, legal costs, and travel delays.

I think there’s a saying, “there’s liars, damn liars, and statistics”. I’m sure this report included numerous SWAG’s (Scientific Wild-Ass Guesses). Nevertheless, I have no doubt that what they are saying is true. Accidents are expensive in many unforseen ways, and often impact people completely uninvolved in the accident. For example, last year, I was on my way to Kentucky for vacation, and I was scheduled to meet up with a buddy for a 2pm tee time. I got trapped in a huge, road-closure type accident in Charleston, WV for 4 hours. Needless to say, by the time I got to Kentucky, it was too late to play golf. So, the golf course owner did not get our two greens fees that day due to a traffic accident. That’s an economic example, to say nothing of the emotional pain and suffering if a loved one is injured or killed in an accident.

The article also states that 43,000 people are killed every year on the roads. Whoa, that’s a lot of people. I played around with the calculator. I SWAGged that you therefore have a 1 in 5,000 chance of getting killed on the road every year. You probably have a 1 in 1,000 chance of being injured.

AAA’s solution is more and more restrictive laws. I’m not sure I agree with that. In a free society, sometimes accidents are the price of freedom. Still, driving on the road, whether it be a truck, or just an ordinary car is serious business. Anyone who forgets that might become a statistic.

_______________________________________________________

Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at eric@arnoldsafety.com.

Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.

Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.

Comments

Leave a Reply