U.S. Auto safety regulators said Tuesday in a landmark report that motor vehicle crashes, which are rising fast, cost American society $340 billion in 2019.
In a comprehensive economic impact study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examined the costs of a single year of crashes that killed around 36,500 people, injured 4.5 million, and damaged 23 million vehicles.
The crashes directly cost taxpayers $30 billion, and society as a whole $340 billion, the NHTSA found. When quality-of-life valuations were included, the total cost to society ran to $1.37 trillion – equivalent to 1.6% of U.S. economic output.
Distracted driving alone cost $98 billion, while the costs of traffic congestion, including travel delays and added fuel usage, were put at $36 billion.
NHTSA last estimated the societal cost of crashes in 2010, when it put the total at $242 billion.
U.S. traffic deaths are now rising sharply.
In 2021 alone, they jumped 10.5% to 42,915, the highest number killed on American roads in a single year since 2005.
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