Cost of Large Truck-and Bus-Involved Crashes

811137https://doi.org/10.21949/15030052001PDFBriefFMCSA-MCRT-01-005Motor carriersCollisionsBus crashesTruck crashesUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationGrzywacz, WendyAvalon Integrated Services, Inc.United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationNTL-FREIGHT-Trucking IndustryUnited States Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationCrashes involving trucks and buses with gross weight ratings over 10,000 pounds impose a variety of costs on the drivers of those vehicles; other drivers, involved either directly or indirectly in the crashes; and society as a whole. Such costs include medical expenses, emergency services, property damage, lost productivity, travel delays, and the monetized value of pain, suffering, and quality-of-life lost. Safety analysts use crash cost data for a variety of purposes, from analyzing the effectiveness of a roadway enhancement to measuring the impact of seatbelt use. Such data are critical when comparing the relative efficacy of crash countermeasures and calculating the cost-effectiveness of proposed safety regulations. Efficient allocation of resources for research, enforcement, and analysis depends on reliable crash cost data. This analysis brief summarizes the results of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) study on the cost (in 1999 dollars) of highway crashes involving large trucks and buses. The study final report is available at http://ai.volpe.dot.gov.84