Study Finds Car Crashes Toll $1,051.00 Per Person

MSN Money reported on a study done on behalf of AAA regarding the true costs of accidents.

The study, released today, found that traffic crashes are much more damaging to society than the bumper-to-bumper congestion that riles commuters in many metropolitan areas.

Cambridge Systematics, which conducted the research for the automobile association, found that crashes cost U.S. motorists $164.2 billion a year, or about $1,051 per person. That's more than double the $67.6 billion in annual costs from congestion, or about $430 per person.

To calculate the crash costs, researchers took into account factors such as property damage, lost earnings, medical costs, emergency services, legal costs and travel delays.

In Louisville, Kentucky the cost per person was $1,226.00 per person compared to the $436 costs of congestion. To read the entire article and review costs for additional areas, click here.