TRAFFIC CRASH PROBLEM - MAGNITUDE AND FACTORS MODULE 1:
Traffic Crashes
SUBJECT 1: Societal And Personal Losses From Traffic Crashes
The motor vehicle has become central to the way of life and the way
of business in the United States. This invention has led to more productivity,
greater mobility, higher efficiency and effectiveness over the same time a
century ago. However, all of these benefits have come at a great cost. Motor
vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for all people from 4 to 33
years old and account for more than 90% of all transportation related
fatalities1. The economic cost of motor vehicle
crashes alone is estimated at more than $150.5 billion annually2.
The majority of persons killed or injured in traffic crashes were drivers
(64%), followed by passengers (32%), pedestrians (3%) and cyclists (2%)3. 96% of the 12 million vehicles involved in motor
vehicle crashes in 1995 were passenger cars or light trucks.4 Slightly more than half of fatal collisions occurred on
roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more while only 21% of property
damage crashes occurred on these roads.5
Collisions on city streets are largely at intersections because of lane
changing, running or jumping lights, etc., while collisions on freeways are
mainly caused by tailgating or following too closely.
How many people die on our roadways annually? Approximately
41,000+.
In 2000, 41,821 people died on our roadways. That is an average of
approximately 114 persons being killed on our roadways every day of the year.
One person dies on our roads every 13 minutes. This means that while you are
reading this program, 28 people will have died on the roadways in the United
States6.
In 2001, Florida's share of the carnage on our roads resulted in 3,013 lives
being lost. This works out to eight per day or one every three hours7.
How many people are injured on our roadways annually?
The
number of injuries that occur on our roadways is phenomenal. In 2000, 3,189,000
were injured on the roadways of the United States. This works out to 8,734
injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions per day or 364 per hour or six per
minute or one every ten seconds. In the four hours that you are reading this
program, 2184 persons will be injured on the roads of the United
States8.
In Florida in 2001, there were 234,600 traffic collision related injuries.
This works out to 642 per day or 27 per hour or approximately one every two
minutes and 14 seconds9.
Our personal mobility and business opportunities are greatly enhanced by the
motor vehicle. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. We pay for these
advantages with our lives, property, and the increasing costs in all categories
of our existence for the motor vehicle.
TRAFFIC CRASH PROBLEM - MAGNITUDE AND FACTORS MODULE 1:
Traffic Crashes
SUBJECT 2: Contribution Of DUI And Other Hazardous Acts
As if driving is not dangerous enough, there is a significant portion
of our driving population that drives under the influence of alcohol and other
drugs. Driving requires a high degree of awareness of the driving environment
and consists of a decision making process that is used hundreds of times per
mile of travel. When you introduce alcohol and other drugs into this decision
making process, the process is slowed down, sometimes fatally. It is, or at
least should be, intuitively obvious that you are not going to proceed safely in
a fast paced decision making process with your ability to make those decisions
slowed down.
Alcohol-related crashes cost society $45 billion anually, yet this
conservative estimate does not include pain, suffering, and lost quality of
life. The indirect costs raise the alcohol-related crash figure to a staggering
$116 billion in 19931.
What was the average cost for each injured survivor of an
alcohol-related crash?
Approximately $67,000, including $6,000 in health care costs and
$13,000 in lost productivity2.
What impact does alcohol and other drugs have on traffic
collisions?
In 2001, there were 17,380 fatalities in alcohol related crashes. This is a
13% decrease compared to 1991, and it represents an average of one
alcohol-related fatality every 30 minutes. NHTSA estimates that alcohol was
involved in 41% of fatal crashes and in 7% of all crashes in 2001. NHTSA also
estimated that 35% of all traffic fatalities occurred in crashes in which at
least one driver or non-occupant had a blood alcohol concentration of .10 grams
per deciliter or greater3.
Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2000 for driving under the
influence of alcohol and other drugs. This is an arrest rate of one in every 130
licensed drivers in the United States. About 3 in every 10 Americans will be
involved in an alcohol related crash at some time or another in their
life4.
In
Florida, in 2001, there were 24,411 alcohol-related crashes, which injured
20,001 people and killed 1,000. 33.2% of traffic fatalities and 9.5% of traffic
crashes were alcohol related6. Approximately 3
people died and 55 were injured every day due to alcohol related collisions in
Florida7.
What other hazardous acts affect the driving environment?
In 2000, speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all fatal crashes, and
12,350 lives were lost in speeding related crashes. Motor vehicle crashes cost
society an estimated $4,800 per second. The economic cost of crashes was
estimated at $150.5 billion in 1994. The cost of speeding related crashes in
2000 accounted for $27.7 billion dollars or $51,930 per minute or $865 per
second8.
Other concepts to be aware of are the concepts of aggressive driving and road
rage. Aggressive driving is defined as "at least one of these four driving
offenses, running a red light or stop sign, failure to yield the right-of-way
and reckless driving9".
The cost of aggressive driving is substantial. It has been estimated that
over the last ten years, aggressive driving has killed an average of 1500 people
each year, injured 800,000 and cost the country an estimated $24 billion in
medical costs, property damage and lost time from work10.
Road rage is the most extreme example of aggressive driving and usually is an
extremely rare event. Road rage is the term used to refer to physical assaults
that result from a traffic dispute. Road rage is an aggressive driving incident
that has lost control. A near collision that turns to violence11. No agency can say how bad a problem road rage has
become. AAA estimates that between 1990 and 1996, 218 people have died on our
roads as a result of road rage12.
RESOURCES: MADD, Public Policy Statistics, Cost of Alcohol Related
Crashes, October 1998, number 1, 2 NHTSA, Traffic Safety Overview, 1999,
Washington, DC, number 3, 4. DHSMV, Traffic Crash Facts, 2001, Tallahassee,
Florida, number 5, 6, 7. NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2000, Speeding,
Washington, D. C., number 8. USA Today, Monday November 23, 1998, Aggressive
driving: A road well traveled., number 9, 10, 11, 12.
These questions are for practice only. You must only pass the
final exam. (REMEMBER: You must answer ALL questions
listed below correctly before you can move to the next module)
Collisions on city streets are largely at intersections because of lane
changing, running or jumping lights. True False
Approximately 41,000+ people die annually on the roads of the United
States. True False
In Florida, in 2001, approximately _______ people died every day in
motor vehicle crashes. 2 4 6 8
Slightly more than _______ of fatal collisions occur on roads with
posted speed limits of 55 mph or more. one-quarter half three-quarters all
Motor Vehicle crashes account for more than ______% of all
transportation-related fatalities. 70 80 90 95
About ____ in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol related
crash at some time or another in their life. 1 3 6
Road rage is the term used to refer to physical assaults that result
from a traffic dispute. True False
It has been estimated that over the last ten years aggressive driving
has cost society $24 billion in medical costs, property damage, and lost time
from work. True False
The most extreme example of aggressive driving is called: defensive driving road rage poor driving
The motor vehicle has become central to the way of life and the way
of business in the United States. This invention has led to more productivity,
greater mobility, higher efficiency and effectiveness over the same time a
century ago. However, all of these benefits have come at a great cost. Motor
vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for all people from 4 to 33
years old and account for more than 90% of all transportation related
fatalities1. The economic cost of motor vehicle
crashes alone is estimated at more than $150.5 billion annually2. 
The
number of injuries that occur on our roadways is phenomenal. In 2000, 3,189,000
were injured on the roadways of the United States. This works out to 8,734
injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions per day or 364 per hour or six per
minute or one every ten seconds. In the four hours that you are reading this
program, 2184 persons will be injured on the roads of the United
States8. 
As if driving is not dangerous enough, there is a significant portion
of our driving population that drives under the influence of alcohol and other
drugs. Driving requires a high degree of awareness of the driving environment
and consists of a decision making process that is used hundreds of times per
mile of travel. When you introduce alcohol and other drugs into this decision
making process, the process is slowed down, sometimes fatally. It is, or at
least should be, intuitively obvious that you are not going to proceed safely in
a fast paced decision making process with your ability to make those decisions
slowed down. 
In
Florida, in 2001, there were 24,411 alcohol-related crashes, which injured
20,001 people and killed 1,000. 33.2% of traffic fatalities and 9.5% of traffic
crashes were alcohol related6. Approximately 3
people died and 55 were injured every day due to alcohol related collisions in
Florida7.