Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

As Chicago automobile accident and injury attorneys, we were interested to read about the recent AAA study that compared the cost of national motor vehicle crashes with the cost of traffic congestion. As Chicagoans, we are accustomed to dealing with traffic congestion on a daily basis. As automobile crash and injury attorneys we have served numerous victims of vehicle collisions. Despite what commuters may say about the costs associated with Chicagoland traffic, the costs of crashes present a larger financial cost to society. In fact, the AAA study as reported by the Chicago Tribune found that "crashes cost the greater Chicago area $11.3 billion a year, representing a bigger economic threat to the region's sustainability than traffic congestion."

AAA endeavored to show commuters that congestion, which most us understand and live through on a daily basis, poses far less of a financial burden on commuters than car crashes, even if the driver is not personally involved in a crash. However, for those of us in the Chicagoland area, the costs are not too far apart. For example, the $9.5 billion annual price tag attributed to congestion amounts to $1,112 per person, while the $11.3 billion cost of car crashes comes to $1,180 per person. The AAA study entitled, Crashes vs. Congestion – What’s the Cost to Society?, found overall car crashes cost U.S. motorists nearly $300 billion each year. The study also found that over 5.5 million police reported motor vehicle crashes result in more than 30,000 fatalities and two million injuries among motorists in the United States, with motor vehicle crashes leading the cause of death among those ages 5-34. Crashes v. Congestion, pp. ES-1, 1.

What does the study recommend for improving road safety and reducing traffic fatalities and injuries? Here a few of their recommendations: (1) make safety a national priority; (2) increase investment in proven safety countermeasures; (3) pass good laws and enforce them; (4) make zero fatalities a national goal; (5) increase funding for testing and the evaluation of safety interventions.

While governmental agencies and law makers take steps to make our roads safer, every motorist must practice safe driving techniques. One area of concern during the autumn season is an increase in deer and car collisions. The recent, devastating news of the Chicago family killed on the Indiana Toll Road when a deer collided with their minivan is one sad example. Every fall, deer mating season in the United States runs from October to December. This time of year can be dangerous for drivers because male deer begin straying from their homes to find potential mates. This seasonal wandering instinct causes deer to cross paths with humans more frequently, causing more car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 1 million car accidents occur each year when deer collide with cars. Approximately 200 Americans are killed in crashes with deer, which also cause more than 10,000 personal injuries, and result in approximately $1 billion in vehicle damage.