NHTSA: Traffic crashes cost America $340 billion in 2019

(NHTSA) — Motor vehicle crashes cost American society $340 billion in 2019, NHTSA announced today. The agency’s new report, “The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019,” examines the costs of one year of crashes that killed an estimated 36,500 people, injured 4.5 million, and damaged 23 million vehicles.

The report draws on data from a range of crashes, including ones that led to property damage, serious injuries and fatalities. Data sources include NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Crash Investigation Sampling System and the Crash Report Sampling System. The report also examines crashes not reported to the police, using consumer survey data, in-car observation techniques and a variety of other sources. Read the report here.