Oklahoma City and Tulsa Traffic Crashes and Congestion Carry Hefty Price Tags

Nov. 3, 2011, AAA Oklahoma – What carries a higher price tag: traffic crashes or congestion? The answer may surprise you, says AAA. Today, the auto club released its “Crashes vs. Congestion – What’s the Cost to Society?” report, which reveals and compares traffic crashes and congestion costs for metropolitan areas across the country.

According to the study, the annual cost of traffic crashes costs the average Oklahoma Citian a little more than $2,000, while average congestion costs totals a bit less than $400. This places crash costs about five times higher than congestion costs.

The study shows crashes cost the average Tulsan a bit more than $2,400 and congestion costs a little less than $300, meaning crashes are eight times the cost of congestion.

Nationally, crash costs are less than three times those of congestion costs.

“When you consider the comprehensive cost of a traffic crash, which includes medical and emergency services, property damage, injuries and tragically, thousands of lives each year, it’s really no surprise it far exceeds the cost of congestion,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “For this reason, it’s imperative that our state leaders focus more attention toward legislation that will help mitigate crashes and make our roads safer for everyone.”

The table below shows how Oklahoma City and Tulsa stack up against the national average:

Motorists can greatly increase their safety, thereby reducing their crash risk by following AAA’s top three crash avoidance tips:

• Be a defensive driver. Remain alert of what is happening on the road around you to anticipate scenarios before they happen and ensure maximum reaction time, which can help prevent a collision from happening.
  
• Avoid distractions. Motorists who engage in distractions while driving, such as text messaging, are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Additionally, for every two seconds a driver takes their eyes of the road, their chance of becoming involved in a collision is doubled.
  
• Slow down. In 2009, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes in the U.S. according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The cost of crashes are based on the Federal Highway Administration’s comprehensive costs for traffic fatalities and injuries that assign a dollar value to a variety of components, including medical and emergency services, lost earnings and household production, property damage, and lost quality of life, among other things. The cost of congestion is based on delay estimates combined with value of time, lost productivity and fuel costs.

The report calculates the costs of crashes for the same metropolitan areas covered by the annual Urban Mobility Report conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute. The results showed crash costs exceeded congestion in every metropolitan area studied, from very large to small.

A not-for-profit organization, AAA Oklahoma serves its 357,000 members across Oklahoma with emergency help on the road, auto travel assistance and a wide range of personal insurance, travel, financial and automotive services through its 42 retail branches, regional operations center and the Internet at www.AAA.com.