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Economic Cost of Car Accidents in Massachusetts, Nationwide

Massachusetts auto accident attorneyCar accident costs are very high both for individual victims and for society. The driver who is responsible for causing a motor vehicle collision is also responsible for compensating the victims of accidents. However, it is up to the victims to pursue a damage claim. Accident attorneys in Springfield, MA at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone can help those who suffered injury or who lost loved ones in a motor vehicle accident.

Calculating the costs of individual collisions involves taking into account medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress and wrongful death damages. Determining the aggregate losses caused by collisions can be done in much the same way. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently published a study on the total cost of motor vehicle collisions upon society.

The Extent of Economic Damage from Motor Vehicle Collisions

According to the NHTSA, drunk drivers alone cause $49 billion in economic costs and another $199 billion in societal harm. Societal harm costs include pain that injured victims endure, loss of life, and lost quality of life when permanent injuries are suffered. More than 90 percent of collisions caused by drunk drivers involve a motorist whose blood-alcohol content is above the legal limit of .08 percent. The average cost per person for crashes these impaired drivers cost is $158 billion for every person in the country.

Speeding drivers are also a major cause of car accidents and their actions have a tremendous cost to society. Crashes involving drivers who either go over the posted speed limit or who drive too fast for road conditions are responsible for causing $59 billion in damages in 2010. This equates to an average cost of $191 per person for each individual in the United States. When also factoring in societal harm, speeders cost $210 billion in additional damages.

Distracted drivers are a third leading cause of car accident costs. Drivers who are distracted cost the nation $46 billion in actual economic costs in 2010, which is an average cost of $148 per person in the United States. When adding in lost quality of life, distracted driving collisions have a total cost of $129 billion.

These numbers are high, and when adding together the total amount of losses -- not just from drunk, speeding and distracted drivers but also from all other motorists -- the NHTSA has determined motor vehicle collisions had an $871 billion economic and societal impact on United States citizens. The economic costs along were $277 billion, or almost $900 per person, and the societal costs equaled another $594 billion.

The NHTSA calculated these numbers by looking at the impact of 32,999 deaths, 3.9 million non-fatal injuries and 24 million damaged vehicles that occurred in 2010 as a result of motor vehicle collisions.

It is important that those who face the costs of collisions ensure that the costs are paid by motorists who made unsafe choices. An experienced attorney can help victims to pursue a damage claim against responsible drivers.

Boston accident victims may contact the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone at 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 or can visit https://www.marksalomone.com

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If you were injured or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident in Boston, Worcester, Springfield or Holyoke, a personal injury lawyer can fight to help you obtain compensation you deserve. At the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone, serving Massachusetts, our personal injury attorneys have an impressive record of trial verdicts and settlements.

Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone