AAA ANALYSIS FINDS TEEN CRASHES COST SOCIETY MORE THAN $34 BILLION ANNUALLY IN U.S. – $598 MILLION IN OKLAHOMA

NEWS from AAA Oklahoma, April 9 - A first-ever analysis from AAA finds that crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 17 cost American society more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006.

The cost of these crashes totaled $598 million in Oklahoma in 2006.

“The impact of a teen crash extends well beyond the emotional tragedies and physical injuries at the crash scene, with costs that can extend to employers, families, the government and society overall,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. ”These economic figures provide one more reason for legislators to continue to support Oklahoma’s Graduated Driver Licensing law. The number of teen deaths has dropped by 44 percent since GDL was passed in our state.”

Comprehensive GDL systems ease teens into driving through a combination of mandatory practice and limited driving at night and with peer passengers. Comprehensive GDL systems have been shown to reduce fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers by an average of 38 percent nationwide, according to a 2007 report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Johns Hopkins University. AAA is a leading advocate for teen driver safety issues and remains committed to this important safety measure.

According to the analysis conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation for AAA, drivers ages 15 to 17 in 2006 across the country were involved in about 974,000 crashes, injuring 406,427 people and killing 2,541. 

The $34.4 billion in costs in 2006 included $9.8 billion in expense from fatal crashes with an average cost of $3.841 million per fatality. Injury crashes averaged $50,512, with their large numbers producing a total cost of $20.5 billion, more than twice the cost of fatal crashes. Property damage crashes accounted for the remaining $4.1 billion in cost.

In Oklahoma, the study shows teens these ages in 2006 were involved in 19,222 crashes, injuring 8,021 people and resulting in the deaths of 46 others. These crashes cost Oklahomans $46 million in medical expenses, $191 million in work loss, $71 million in property damage, $198 million in quality of life loss and $92 million in other expenses.

“Some of these costs are paid directly by government through Medicaid, police, paramedics and courts. Many other costs – like lost wages, traffic delay and reduced quality of life – don’t show up directly, but also reflect the very large, very real cost of crashes involving teen drivers,” said Mai.

“States that have improved their graduated driver licensing programs, such as Oklahoma, have reduced crashes, injuries, and deaths for road users of all ages and reduced crash-related costs paid by the state. However, more attention needs to be focused on the dangers teen drivers face behind the wheel. Their crash rate is still very high, especially when compared with other age groups.”

The cost of teen crashes was calculated using modeling that researchers at PIRE have used for economic analysis for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The analysis draws upon a broad range of databases and research involving crashes, injury types, medical costs by state and more.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members (326,000 in Oklahoma) with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services.  Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.  AAA Oklahoma can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.