Unit Costs of Medium and Heavy Truck Crashes

Zaloshnja, Eduard; Miller, Ted R.; Pacific Institute For Research and Evaluation · 2010 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.21949/1502941

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Summary

This study, conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), provides updated estimates of the unit costs associated with highway crashes involving medium and heavy trucks (gross weight rating >10,000 pounds). The research addresses the need for reliable, economically sophisticated cost data to evaluate the effectiveness of safety countermeasures and regulations. Previous estimates relied on injury severity profiles from the 1982–1986 period; this report updates those figures using data primarily from the 2001–2003 period, reflecting changes in medical costs, wages, and injury distributions. The methodology combines data from multiple sources to estimate comprehensive costs, defined as the present value (at a 4% discount rate) of all crash-related costs over a victim’s expected lifespan. Because no single national dataset contains both representative crash incidence and detailed medical injury descriptions for recent truck crashes, the authors used the 2001–2003 Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) for severe injuries and the 1982–1986 National Accident Sampling System (NASS) for less severe injuries, adjusting weights using the 2001–2003 General Estimates System (GES). Cost components include medical expenses, emergency services, property damage, lost productivity, and the monetized value of pain, suffering, and lost quality of life (QALYs). The value of statistical life was set at $3 million (in 2005 dollars). The results indicate that the average cost of a police-reported crash involving a medium or heavy truck was $91,112 in 2005 dollars. Costs varied significantly by truck type and injury severity. Fatal crashes incurred the highest average cost at $3,604,518 per crash, while property-damage-only crashes averaged $15,114. Non-fatal injury crashes averaged $195,258. Truck-tractors with two or three trailers, though the rarest crash type, had the highest average cost per crash at $289,549. In contrast, straight trucks with no trailers had the lowest average cost at $56,296. The total cost per large truck crash reported in this study is 53% higher than previous estimates, largely due to inflation in medical and wage indices and an updated injury severity profile. These findings provide critical data for safety analysts to compare the cost-effectiveness of proposed regulations and allocate resources for enforcement and research. By differentiating costs by truck configuration and injury severity, the study allows for more precise economic assessments of crash countermeasures. The report also provides tables allowing users to adjust estimates based on different values of statistical life, ensuring the data remains applicable as societal valuations of life change.

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• incidence prevalence