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Costs of Traffic Congestion Outweighed By Economic Toll of Crashes
Motor vehicle congestion overshadows a more costly national problem: motor vehicle crashes and the financial drain it causes to the insurance industry.
December 01, 2011 /Law Enforcement PR News/ -- Few issues weigh as heavily on the collective consciousness of American motorists as traffic congestion. After all, most of us spend time stuck in traffic on a regular, if not daily, basis. Yet, the high visibility of congestion overshadows a far more costly problem on our nation's roads: motor vehicle crashes.
In 2008, AAA published a comprehensive study on the costs of crashes involving injury or death. AAA compared these study results to the annual Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute, which examines the costs of traffic congestion. In November of 2011, AAA released an updated study to revisit the results with the most recent data available.
Stunning Cost of Car Crashes Triple that of Congestion
For the purposes of the AAA study, only crashes that involved injury or death were analyzed -- "property damage only" crashes were excluded. To calculate the cost of an auto accident, 11 factors were examined:
- Medical costs
- Lost earnings
- Lost household production (non-market activities involving work around the home)
- Emergency services
- Travel delay
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Workplace costs
- Administrative costs
- Legal costs
- Property damage
- Pain and lost quality of life
Establishing the cost of traffic congestion was comparatively simpler: delay estimates were combined with the value of time and fuel costs.
The costs of traffic congestion were not inconsequential. In 2010, across America's 439 urban areas, an extra 1.9 billion gallons of fuel were "wasted" due to traffic congestion. To put it in perspective, that is equivalent to about 2 months of flow in the Alaska Pipeline. In addition, each auto commuter was delayed by an average of 34 hours over the year, for a total of 4.8 billion lost hours. Motorists in some cities fared better than others: Milwaukee commuters, for instance, only lost an average of 27 hours. In the largest urban areas, the arguably misnamed "rush hour" period actually lasted six hours, costing the average driver as much as 74 hours in a year. All together, considering extra fuel and time lost, traffic congestion costs the nation approximately $100 billion a year.
However, the huge economic impact of traffic congestion pales in comparison to that of crashes. Every year, more than 5.5 million motor vehicle crashes are reported to the police. These accidents result in approximately two million injuries and 30,000 fatalities. In 2009, the most recent year for which complete data was available, 33,808 Americans were killed in traffic crashes, about one every 15 minutes. Based on the dollar value of all 11 criteria in the AAA study, the average cost, in 2009 dollars, for a single motor vehicle fatality was $6 million. The average cost of an accident injury was estimated at $126,000.
In the urban areas studied, the collective costs of traffic crashes added up to a staggering $300 billion, three times that of congestion. Had rural communities been included, crash costs would likely have further outpaced congestion expenses: population and traffic congestion costs shared an inverse relationship in all areas studied, while areas with smaller populations consistently faced higher costs for crashes on a per person basis (in large urban areas, crash costs were nearly double those of congestion, while in small urban areas, crashes were almost six times more costly than congestion).
The Milwaukee metropolitan area alone saw 91 traffic fatalities and 12,467 injuries in 2009. The total price tag? Over $2.1 billion.
Insurance Claims Process in Wisconsin
In the grand scheme, motor vehicle accidents are a substantial economic drain, perhaps even more so than many people realize. On a smaller scale, a car accident can be a personal economic crisis for victims and their families. Even when insurers are cooperative and forthcoming with payments, it is important to proceed only with the advice of an experienced Wisconsin car accident attorney (represented claims typically settle for at least two to three times more than unrepresented claims). Although your lawyer will be well equipped to walk you through the process, having a general understanding of how insurance proceedings typically progress after a car accident can be helpful.
Of course, at the scene of the accident, the most important thing to do is seek immediate medical attention for any injuries. Waiting or "toughing it out" can be harmful to your health and damage your potential legal claim.
If you are able to, you should also make a record at the accident scene -- this can bolster your insurance claim later on. Call the police and make sure they file a report, exchange license plate numbers, contact information and insurance information with other parties involved in the accident, and get contact information from anyone who witnessed the accident as well. If you have a camera or camera phone, consider snapping a few pictures of the accident scene, the vehicles and any visible injuries. You may be under an unusual level of stress following an accident, and may not even be fully aware of what happened until a thorough investigation is complete; never say anything at an accident scene that could be interpreted as an admission of fault.
The next step is contacting your insurer. At this point, you should seek the advice of an attorney. If you believe another driver was at fault, you should also advise the other driver's insurance company that you are pursuing a claim through your carrier and will seek reimbursements for costs your carrier will not pay.
The insurance companies will then investigate the claim -- at some point, the other insurer may contact you asking for your version of events. This is a very important statement, and should be made only after consulting with your attorney. Finally, your claim will be either approved or denied. If your claim is denied or if you believe the settlement offer is too low, you may resolve the dispute with a legal challenge.
Get Legal Help
Expenses like medical bills, lost earnings and property damage from traffic crashes can add up and be devastating to individual accident victims. Fortunately, many types of accident costs may be recoverable by victims through an insurance settlement. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, contact an experienced Wisconsin personal injury lawyer today to ensure you recover the full amount of compensation you deserve.
Article provided by Aiken & Scoptur, S.C.
Visit us at www.plaintiffslaw.com
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