Motor vehicle crashes kill more people between the ages of five and 34 than any other cause, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These crashes cause billions in losses for insurance companies as well as in lost production for the states they occur in.
A report by nonprofit disease prevention group, The Trust for America's Health, includes a state-by-state analysis of CDC data on auto fatalities, the costs arising from all fatalities and the policies states use to prevent car crashes. 24/7 Wall St. recently analyzed the 10 states with the highest rates of auto fatalities between 2007 and 2009 and calculated the total costs incurred by state for these deaths using the CDC's WISQAR report for 2005. Combined with other recent data, 24/7 Wall St. ranked the top 10 most dangerous states to drive in.
Click "next" to see if your state is on the list.
10. Kentucky
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 18.3
Auto fatalities per year: 784
Lifetime medical costs (due to one-year auto accidents): $6,410,980
Lifetime work loss costs (due to one-year auto accidents): $789,411,765
The lack of laws mandating that motorcycle riders wear helmets, as well as a failure to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) standards requiring children under the age of eight to sit in booster seats, have both likely contributed to Kentucky's poor record. In 2012, police departments across the state have pledged to enforce the Click It or Ticket initiative to encourage safe driving.
9. Oklahoma
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 19.5
Auto fatalities per year: 711
Lifetime medical costs: $5,896,988
Lifetime work loss costs: $657,831,325
Like Kentucky, Oklahoma does not have universal helmet laws for motorcyclists or booster seat requirements for children. The state also has yet to adopt mandatory ignition locks for all convicted drunk drivers. Oklahoma has had a primary seatbelt law on the books since 1987, but fines for first-time offenders are as low as $20. Things continue to look dreary in the state, as the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety reported an uptick in auto fatalities in March 2012.
8. West Virginia
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 19.8
Auto fatalities per year: 359
Lifetime medical costs: $2,938,686
Lifetime work loss costs: $289,051,095
Unlike Kentucky and Oklahoma, West Virginia has adopted mandatory helmets for motorcyclists and booster seats for children. However, it remains one of 18 states that does not have a primary seatbelt law.
7. Louisiana
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 20.2
Auto fatalities per year: 897
Lifetime medical costs: $7,363,795
Lifetime work loss costs: $1,109,612,984
While Louisiana has the proper laws in place to keep drivers safe—mandatory ignition lock for convicted drunk drivers, mandatory helmets and a primary seatbelt law—their enforcement is ineffective. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, only 75.9 percent of Louisiana drivers wore seatbelts in 2010—the lowest among the 32 states with primary seatbelt laws.
6. South Carolina
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 21
Auto fatalities per year: 944
Lifetime medical costs: $7,702,929
Lifetime work loss costs: $966,527,197
On top of not having laws requiring ignition interlocks for drunk drivers, helmets and booster seats, South Carolina recently changed a bill that would have banned texting while driving for all drivers with one that prohibits texting only for drivers under 18.
5. Arkansas
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 21.6
Auto fatalities per year: 619
Lifetime medical costs: $4,775,033
Lifetime work loss costs: $617,945,384
For 2012, Arkansas has implemented a highway safety plan in which the Highway Safety Office has set specific goals for reducing DWI deaths, increasing seatbelt usage and slowing drivers down. The HSO plans to accomplish these goals by bolstering training programs for law enforcement officials and educating the people through a series of highly visible campaigns.
4. Wyoming
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 21.7
Auto fatalities per year: 116
Lifetime medical costs: $947,936
Lifetime work loss costs: $107,859,504
An absence of a primary seatbelt law and a mandatory ignition interlocks for only convicted drunk drivers who register a blood alcohol content of .15 aren't helping Wyoming's high fatality rate. In addition, attempts to ban texting while driving have failed in the past two years.
3. Alabama
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 21.7
Auto fatalities per year: 1,014
Lifetime medical costs: $8,254,510
Lifetime work loss costs: $964,444,444
Alabama's high rate of auto accident fatalities is surprising when contrasted with the state's 91.4 percent seatbelt usage rate.
2. Montana
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 23.3
Auto fatalities per year: 225
Lifetime medical costs: $1,831,676
Lifetime work loss costs: $195,289,017
Drunk driving plays a large part in Montana's fatality rate. In 2007, the state had 11.1 drunk driving auto deaths per 100,000 residents.
1. Mississippi
Average auto fatalities (per 100,000): 26.7
Auto fatalities per year: 784
Lifetime medical costs: $7,158,007
Lifetime work loss costs: $823,487,544
Mississippi is considered the most dangerous state to drive in with its 26.7 fatality rate, the highest in the country.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.