The following is an extract from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the cost of automobile crashes in the United States topped $230 billion in the year 2000, averaging nearly $820 for every resident in the U.S.  This figure includes legal and court costs, emergency service costs, insurance administration costs and travel delays.  This represents 2.3 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GNP) and explains why insurance rates are so high.

Approximately 42,000 people were killed in the year 2000 and 5.3 million injured in motor vehicle crashes that also damaged 28 million vehicles across the U.S.  Vehicle crashes accounted for $32.6 billion in medical costs, $59 billion in property damage losses, $81 billion in lost productivity and $58 billion in other related costs.

Alcohol was a factor in about 1/3 of all fatal accidents or 16,792 fatalities, and 513,000 non-fatal injuries causing an economic impact of $51 billion -- about 22 percent all economic costs involving crashes where a driver was legally intoxicated.

Selected Statistics Resources

There are a number of excellent resources available with timely information and reliable data on the incidence and severity of motor vehicle accidents. The following websites are worth visiting:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Northwestern University Center for Public Safety

National Safety Transportation Board

Rand California and U.S. Statistics

Highway Safety Information System

Center for National Truck Statistics

National Center for Statistics and Analysis

Information is also generally available from YOUR state agency responsible for roads and highways (Department of Transportation).