HHS HealthBeat (October 20, 2010)

America's crash costs

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Even beside the suffering caused by injuries and deaths, the money that the nation loses because of motor vehicle crashes is enormous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ran the numbers for the latest year with complete data. The CDC’s Rebecca Naumann:

``In 2005, the total costs of crash-related injuries and deaths exceeded $99 billion. This included the cost of both medical care and productivity losses.’’ (10 seconds)

Men were more likely than women to die or be injured, and accounted for most of the costs. Teens and young adults had an outsized share of deaths, injuries and costs. 

Naumann says the study underscores the need for safety, such as seat belts.

The study was in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011