Motor vehicle accidents account for 21.5 percent of workers' compensation death claims, a study by the National Council on Compensation Insurance has found.

The 32-page research brief, "Traffic Accidents--A Growing Contributor to Workers' Compensation Losses" also said that vehicle accidents are more severe than the average workers' comp claim, comprising close to 2 percent of claims but more than 5.5 percent of losses, on average, from 1997 to 2003.

Additionally, vehicle accident claims are more likely to be lost-time and comprise a disproportionate share of the most severe claim types, wrote NCCI researchers Tanya Restrepo, Harry Shuford and Auntara De.

Their study found frequency of fatalities is higher for trucks, while frequency of nonfatal injuries is higher for passenger vehicles.

However, it noted that fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, during the period from 1990 to 2002, have declined 37 percent for large trucks and 28 percent for passenger vehicles.

From 1997 to 2003, NCCI said severity for trucking accidents averaged close to $29,000.

The brief said that 2003 figures from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health showed that automobiles accounted for 65 percent of the fatalities reported for the insurance, finance and real estate businesses, 58.2 percent for public administration, and 47.5 percent for services.

In the transportation, communications and public utilities industries, 74.3 percent of fatalities involved semitrucks.

In mining, 37.5 percent of fatalities were in pickup trucks, while for agriculture, forestry and fishing, 30.2 percent involved off-road and industrial vehicles such as tractors.

According to the study, while vehicle accident frequency is declining, it is happening at a slower pace than for workers' comp claims overall. From 1992-to-2004, vehicle accident frequency fell 21 percent, compared to 54 percent for overall frequency.

NCCI reported that in terms of claims characteristics, motor vehicle claims impact a diverse range of occupations in addition to truckers (particularly salespersons and clerical).

The researchers said the top injury diagnoses from vehicle accidents were neck injuries, the duration of vehicle claims is more than 70 percent longer, subrogation is significant, and attorney involvement is three times as likely compared to all claims.

Cell phone use, drowsiness, reaching for objects, reading, and applying makeup were among the causes listed as leading factors in vehicle accidents.

"Driver attitudes and driving practices are essential to safety, and employers can play a large part in encouraging safe practices and procedures," the report said.

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