Nobody would argue that the potential for lost-life is the worst thing about teen crashes, but the related monetary expenses are also rather staggering. AAA estimates that teen crashes ended up costing more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006 alone. According to AAA, fifteen to seventeen year-old drivers were involved in nearly a million crashes in 2006, injuring 406,427 people and killing 2,541. Each fatality carries an average cost of $3.841 million while injury accidents post an average of $50,512.
According to their research, AAA suggests that states should take up graduated driver licensing strategies, which they say are proven to reduce fatal crashes involving teen drivers by an average of 38 percent. Browse through the press release after the break for the whole set of sad statistics.
[Source: AAA]
PRESS RELEASEAAA calls for improved graduated driver licensing to counter nearly onemillion crashes involving 15- to 17-year-olds annually WASHINGTON, April 9, 2008 -- A first-ever analysis from AAA finds that crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 17 cost American society more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006. "The impact of a teen crash extends beyond the emotional tragedies andphysical injury at the crash scene, with costs that can extend toemployers, families, the government and society overall," said AAAPresident and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. "These economic figures provide onemore reason for legislators to improve graduated driver licensing in theirstates - a proven measure governments can take to reduce the deadly toll ofteen driver crashes." Comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems ease teens intodriving through a combination of mandatory practice and limited driving atnight and with peer passengers. Comprehensive GDL systems have been shownto reduce fatal crashes involving teen drivers by an average of 38 percent.AAA is a leading advocate for teen driver safety issues and remainscommitted to encouraging states to improve upon their graduated driverlicensing (GDL) systems. According to the analysis conducted by the Pacific Institute forResearch and Evaluation for AAA, drivers ages 15 to 17 in 2006 wereinvolved in about 974,000 crashes, injuring 406,427 people and killing2,541. The $34.4 billion cost in 2006 included $9.8 billion in cost from fatalcrashes, with an average cost of $3.841 million per fatality. Injurycrashes averaged $50,512, with their large numbers producing a total costof $20.5 billion - more than twice the cost of fatal crashes. Propertydamage crashes accounted for the remaining $4.1 billion in cost. "Some of these costs are paid directly by government through Medicaid,police, paramedics and courts. Many other costs - like lost wages, trafficdelay and reduced quality of life - don't show up directly, but alsoreflect the very large, very real cost of crashes involving teen drivers,"said Darbelnet. "States that improve their graduated driver licensingprograms will reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths for road users of allages and reduce crash-related costs that are paid by the state, too." The cost of teen crashes was calculated using modeling that researchersat PIRE have used for economic analysis for the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration. The analysis draws upon a broad range of databasesand research involving crashes, injury types, medical costs by state andmore.
