More than half of all costs are in 10 states
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Motor vehicle crash-related deaths in the United States resulted in an estimated $41 billion in medical and work loss costs in a year, according to state-based estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of this cost ($20.4 billion) was in 10 states, the report says.
CDC’s data analysis found that the 10 states with the highest medical
and work loss costs were California ($4.16 billion), Texas ($3.50
billion), Florida ($3.16 billion), Georgia ($1.55 billion), Pennsylvania
($1.52 billion), North Carolina ($1.50 billion), New York ($1.33
billion), Illinois ($1.32 billion), Ohio ($1.23 billion), and Tennessee
($1.15 billion).
These cost findings are based on 2005 data, which is the most recent
year for which comprehensive data on costs associated with crash deaths
is available. The study was not configured to develop an explanation for
the variation in state costs.
“Deaths from motor vehicle crashes are preventable,” said CDC Director
Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Seat belts, graduated driver’s license
programs, child safety seats, and helmet use save lives and reduce
health care costs.”
CDC is releasing new fact sheets highlighting state-based costs of crash
deaths, to coincide with the May 11 launch of the Decade of Action for
Road Safety. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2011 to
2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety, a period of enhanced focus on
protecting lives on the world’s roads.
CDC also found the cost related to crash deaths among children and
teenagers from birth to 19 years old was nearly $856 million. The
highest percentage of costs related to children and teen crash deaths
was seen in Vermont (34 percent, $25 million), and the lowest was in
Nevada (17 percent, $66 million). Despite the higher percentage in
Vermont, its cost is lower due to the much lower total cost of injury.
“It’s tragic to hear that anyone dies on our nation’s roads. But it’s
especially so when the person who loses his or her life is a child or
teenager,” said Linda Degutis, Dr. P.H., M.S.N., director, National
Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “Child passenger safety laws
and comprehensive graduated driver licensing laws are proven to protect
young lives. We encourage states to strengthen and enforce these laws
to help keep more of our young people safe.”
To prevent crash-related deaths and reduce medical and work loss costs,
CDC’s Injury Center recommends that states consider the following
strategies:
* Primary seat belt laws, which allow motorists to be stopped and cited
for not wearing seat belts. Seat belts reduce the risk of death to those
riding in the front seat by about half.
* Strong child passenger safety policies, which require children to be
placed in age- and size-appropriate child safety and booster seats while
riding in vehicles.
* Comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems, which are
proven to reduce teen crashes. GDL systems help new drivers gain
experience under lower-risk conditions by granting driving privileges in
stages. The most comprehensive GDL systems have been associated with up
to 40 percent decreases in crashes among 16-year-old drivers.
* Universal motorcycle helmet laws, which require riders of all ages to
wear helmets. Helmet use can reduce the risk of death in a motorcycle
crash by more than one-third and reduce the risk of brain injury by 69
percent.
“These preventable costs are a reflection of the terrible suffering of
American families whose loved ones are killed or injured on the roads,”
said Norman Mineta, chairman of Make Roads Safe North America and the
longest serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history. “Today, on
the launch of the first-ever Decade of Action for Road Safety, occurring
in 30 cities across our nation and 50 countries worldwide, it is time
for all of us to take action to save lives at home and around the
globe.”
To find cost data for your state, visit
www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts.
CDC’s Injury Center works to protect the safety of everyone on the
roads, every day. For more information about CDC’s work in motor vehicle
safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety.
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