In a hearing, Transportation Administrator Jeffrey Runge said this about the economic impact of auto accidents:
Traffic crashes are not only a grave public health problem for our nation, but also a significant economic problem. Traffic crashes cost our economy $230.6 billion in 2000, or 2.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. This translates to an average of $820 for every person living in the United States. Included in this figure is $81 billion in lost productivity, $32.6 billion in medical expenses, and $59 billion in property damage. If safety is our number one priority, our nation must become more aware of the deaths of nearly 43,000 Americans, the cost of these deaths, and the solutions. Given increased mobility estimates and the likely increase in miles traveled, a failure to improve the fatality rate will result in more than 50,000 Americans killed annually by 2008.
Of course the economic impact pales in comparison to the pain and suffering and sorrow people experience when a car wreck causes a severe injury or fatality.
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