U.S. auto safety regulators said Tuesday in a landmark report that motor vehicle crashes, which are rising fast, cost American society $340 billion in 2019. In a comprehensive economic impact study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined the costs of a single year of crashes that killed around 36,500 people, injured 4.5 million, and damaged 23 million vehicles.
The crashes directly cost taxpayers $30 billion, and society as a whole $340 billion, NHTSA found. When quality-of-life valuations were included, the total cost to society ran to $1.37 trillion - equivalent to 1.6 percent of U.S. economic output.
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