Traffic accidents cost NY-NJ region $18B yearly

Traffic accidents cost the New York City-New Jersey region more than $18 billion a year, making it tops among metropolitan areas nationwide, according to an American Automobile Association report that asks local lawmakers to prioritize safety in their transportation planning.

That's $962 per person. But it's below the national average of $1,051 per person, and half the per-person cost in smaller areas such as Little Rock, Ark.

Nationwide, traffic crashes cost American motorists $164.2 billion a year, 2 1/2 times greater than the $67.2 billion cost of congestion, according to the report commissioned by the AAA.

"It's time for motor vehicle crashes to be viewed as the public health threat they are," said Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA's president and chief executive, noting that nearly 43,000 people die each year on the nation's roadways.

According to the most recent data from New York's Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 26,585 accidents in Suffolk County in 2006, 144 of them with fatalities and 763 alcohol-related. Nassau County logged 28,919 the same year, 84 with fatalities and 531 involving alcohol.

Maryland-based Cambridge Systematics Inc. conducted the research for AAA. Researchers looked at emergency services, medical costs, property damage, lost earnings, legal fees and travel delays to calculate the crash costs.

AAA recommended that lawmakers nationwide pursue measures such as stiffer laws on drunken and impaired driving. The organization also recommended that all states pass primary enforcement seat-belt laws, which allow law enforcement officers to stop motorists if their only offense is failing to buckle up.

More than 20 years ago, New York became the first state to enact a primary seat-belt law. Tougher statewide drunken-driving laws took effect in November, and drivers who kill or hurt someone while drunk or on drugs face the possibility of more jail time in New York State.

Robert Sinclair Jr. of AAA-New York said road maintenance also plays a role in driver safety. A 2005 study by a state panel and his organization found one-third of roads statewide in disrepair or poor shape. Locally, he said, Jericho and Hempstead turnpikes need engineering improvements.

"Certainly we need to do more as far as spending to make sure our roads are in a good state of repair," Sinclair said.

The report also looked at the cost of congestion, finding an annual cost of $7.4 billion in the New York City-New Jersey region, compared with $9.3 billion in the Los Angeles area.

New York City is considering a so-called congestion pricing plan that would charge drivers $8 to travel into Manhattan below 60th Street during certain peak hours.

Hit to the wallet

A recent AAA report estimates how much car crashes cost all motorists in medical services, property damage, lost earnings, legal fees and travel delays.

Top metro areas Population Total cost of crashes Cost per person

New York-Newark-Edison (N.J.) 18.7 million $18 billion $962

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (Calif.) 12.9 million $10.6 billion $817

Chicago-Naperville (Ill.)-Joliet (Ill.) 9.4 million $8.4 billion $887

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach 5.4 million $7.8 billion $1,439

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (Del.) 5.8 million $5.4 billion $924

SOURCE: AAA Crashes Vs. Congestion Report

Posted Sunday, April 6, 2008

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