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HomeBlogCar AccidentsHow Much Do Car Accidents Cost The Average Citizen?
16 April, 2013

How Much Do Car Accidents Cost The Average Citizen?

Car accidents are an unavoidable problem when it comes to driving. Either you’ll get in one, or have to deal with the consequences of one in your day-to-day driving. Even a fender-bender can back up traffic for miles under the wrong circumstances.

But have you ever wondered how it affects your wallet? The average citizen pays for accidents they’re never involved in, in ways that might surprise you.

What Are We Paying for?

Most people would assume that it’s the medical bills that make up most of the cost in fatal accidents, but actually, almost all of that cost is work-loss related as the victim’s family and friends deal with insurance companies and struggle with their loss.

The National Safety Council estimates that just one traffic fatality will ultimately cost $1,410,000 in lost productivity, administrative costs, property damage, and unrecoverable expenses, and the overall cost of $4,360,000 once insurance increases, taxpayer costs, and research into safety features as new issues come to light.

Finally, there’s simply the lost productivity of everybody who was NOT in the accident. If you’re stuck in traffic waiting for the road to clear, you’re not at work, earning more money and getting more done at your job. You feel it in your paycheck at the end of the week, and the company you work for feels it in the lack of productivity. Similarly, every time there’s an accident, auto insurance companies adjust their predictions of risk… and depending on what the data says, may inch up your rates, even if you were not involved.

How Can We Reduce Cost?

The good news is that overall, both fatal and non-fatal accidents have been trending steadily downwards for decades. Advanced new safety features have come on the market, reducing fatalities and disabling injuries. Decades of awareness campaigns and stricter laws have reduced drunk driving, although alcohol-related accidents still account for one-third of all fatalities on the road as of 2010.

In the meantime, what we can do on the road is simple: Be courteous and respect both the safety of ourselves and others. If accidents cost all of us money, then we should all do our part to reduce them.

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$6,900,000.00

for a motor vehicle wrongful death case.

$5,300,000.00

for a 75-year-old woman who suffered an above the knee amputation due to being run over by a private school bus.

$4,500,000.00

for a young lady who was run over by a private waste hauling company while crossing the street.

$3,600,000.00

for a trucking accident resulting in the death of the driver.

$3,000,000.00

for a 70 year old man who died, without any living relatives, seven months after being hit by a car while crossing the street.

$2,300,000.00

for a client whose family was killed by a street sweeper that ran a red light.

$2,100,000.00

for a client injured in a 2005 Metra train derailment case.

$1,600,000.00

for a minor rear-ended on an expressway in Kankakee.

$1,400,000.00

for a premises liability accident resulting in below the knee amputation.

$1,200,000.00

for a woman who was hit by a car while crossing the street.

$1,197,000.00

for a client who was injured on the CTA red line train.

$900,000.00

for a bicyclist hit by a car.

$800,000.00

for a passenger injured in a rideshare rollover accident.

$750,000.00

for a rideshare accident injury.

$600,000.00

for a low-speed rear-end accident.

$500,000.00

for injuries in a van accident pulling a trailer.

$500,000.00

for a minor injured in a ride-share accident.

$495,000.00

for a pedestrian injured due to a sidewalk defect.

$350,000.00

for a passenger injured in a rideshare rollover accident.

$289,000.00

for a driver injured in an auto accident.

$270,000.00

for injuries from a right-turning truck.

$260,000.00

for a family injured in an auto accident.

$255,000.00

for a law enforcement officer rear-ended by a truck.

$250,000.00

for a motorcyclist rear-ended.

$233,000.00

for an individual injured by a dog.

$225,000.00

for a bicyclist hit by a car while crossing the street.

$201,000.00

for a driver rear-ended on the expressway.

$175,000.00

for a client who had lawyers at another law firm trying to settle the accident case for only $60,000.

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