Bigger than the bailouts preventable motor accidents cost $99 billion

by Carol Forsloff - In
a report issued today the CDC maintains motor vehicle losses, including
medical care and lost productivity, exceeded $99 billion, which is more
than $20 billion greater than the bank bailout and almost includes the
auto bailout as well.

The accident narrative in Oregon for a single day reveals how dramatic this is, and the CDC underlines it is preventable.

The total annual cost amounts to nearly $500 for each licensed driver in the United States, said the study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

The
one-year costs of fatal and non-fatal crash-related injuries totaled
$70 billion (71 percent of total costs) for people riding in motor
vehicles, such as cars and light trucks, $12 billion for motorcyclists,
$10 billion for pedestrians, and $5 billion for bicyclists, the study
said.

CDC
researchers declare,"Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States is
treated in an emergency department for crash-related injuries, and
nearly 40,000 people die from these injuries each year.   Teens and
young adults make up 28 percent of all fatal and nonfatal motor vehicle
injuries although they are only 14 percent of the population.

Just
the Oregon police reports today underline how big the problem of
traffic accidents is across the country as these are the reports from
Oregon in less than 24 hours:


Tuesday
evening 8:44 p.m. a 1999 Jeep Cherokee driven by Michael Paulsen, age 19,
from Vale, collided with a John Deere tractor as both vehicles traveled
eastbound near milepost 148. The collision sheered off the tractor's
left side dual tires. The tractor's driver, Dean Nikkel, age 24, from
Burns, moved it off the roadway after the collision.  The Jeep caught
fire, trapping Paulsen who had to be extricated and taken to a St.
Charles Medical Center in Bend.



Wednesday
morning a two vehicle fatal traffic crash occurred on the Highway 42
overpass over Interstate 5 at exit 119 near Winston.   The drivers were
identified as Kindall S. Baker, age 25, from Winston, driving a white
1997 Nissan Altima, and Justin M. Burkett, age 21, driving a black 1990
Acura.  Baker was transported to the hospital with non-fatal injuries
and Burkett was pronounced dead at the scene.



At
Highway 20 just west of Blodgett  there was a fatal traffic crash
involving an unloaded log truck and passenger vehicle. The victim's name
is being withheld pending next of kin notification.  The truckdriver,
Michael Brown, age 57, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with
non-fatal injuries.

Oregon State Police troopers are also investigating a Wednesday
afternoon single vehicle rollover traffic crash that occurred westbound
Interstate 84 about one mile east of Troutdale just before 3 pm on
Wednesday.  This involved a white Ford four-door pickup driven by Damion
Louis Wilson, age 39, from Portland who has been hospitalized with injuries.

The CDC underlines the fact that motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths and the associated costs are preventable.

Recommendations
for preventing accidents include graduated driver licensing policies
for teen drivers, child safety seat distribution and education programs,
primary seat belt laws, enhanced seat belt enforcement programs,
bicycle and motorcycle helmet laws and sobriety checkpoints.

These are the details on state-specific policies and a state-by-state policy comparison.