Trucking collisions in Hollywood and other cities are expensive, not just for injured parties but also for entire communities. In fact, according to a new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), highway collisions across the country cost about $871 billion annually in community harm and financial costs.
The NHTSA study looked at truck and car accidents in 2010. That year, there were 24 million damaged trucks and cars, 32,999 deaths, and 3.9 million injuries attributed to roadway collisions. From this, the researchers concluded that the accidents caused $594 billion in societal costs and $277 billion in economic losses. The costs included the costs of decreased quality of life, decreased productivity, loss of life, and other losses.
The same study found that three specific driving behaviors contributed a total of 62% of the societal costs and 56% of the economic costs. These three behaviors were drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving. Speeding accounted for about 24% or $210 billion of societal harm and 21% or $59 billion in economic costs. Drunk driving was linked to 23% or $199 billion of societal harm and 18% or $49 billion in economic costs. Distracted driving was said to cost 17% or $46 billion of total economic costs as well as $129 billion in societal harm.
This last may actually be good news. Since speeding, distracted driving, and drunk driving in Hollywood and other communities is so preventable, it is possible that focusing on just these three causes of tragic crashes could have a huge impact on the total number of accidents and the losses caused by these accidents.
The study did not examine individual costs of trucking and automobile collisions in Hollywood and other cities, but the fact is that individual costs can be an even larger problem. While total collision costs of $871 billion annually are very large, an entire country can absorb these costs. When individuals are injured and incur tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, however, it can be almost impossible to deal with this financial challenge.
In fact, unexpected medical expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy in Hollywood and across the country. When people are injured in car or truck accidents, they often face severe financial losses, including:
•Income loss
•Long-term wage loss
•Car repair bills
•Property damage
•Vehicle replacement costs
•Medical bills
•Long-term medical expenses
These expenses can add up very quickly. Even diagnostic screening can add up to thousands of dollars. While insurance is meant to help protect motorists from these costs, it does not always provide the coverage that patients need. In some cases, insurance adjusters undervalue a claim or allege that a patient is not covered for certain benefits or procedures. A patient who has very good medical and car insurance coverage can still be left with bills that end up causing severe financial distress. In some cases, patients face bankruptcy due to these costs.
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