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[quote user="V.Payne"] ...... The price tag for crashes comes at a heavy burden for Americans at $871 billion in economic loss and societal harm. This includes $277 billion in economic costs – nearly $900 for each person living in the <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2014/NHTSA-study-shows-vehicle-crashes-have-$871-billion-impact-on-U.S.-economy,-society">United States based on calendar year 2010 data</a> — and $594 billion in harm from the loss of life and the pain and decreased quality of life due to injuries." [/quote] As per the executive summary of The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010, which has nothing to do with passenger trains, public revenues paid roughly 9 per cent of all motor vehicle crash costs. They were approximately $24 billion. Approximately 5 per cent was paid from federal funds, with 3 per cent paid from state funds and local funds.  One per cent was paid from indeterminate public resources. Unlike the polls that have been cited, the aforementioned study used a proper statistical sampling techniques. Thus, when projecting the results of a statistical sample to the population as a whole, the proper technique is to state the results as a range together with the confidence level, tolerable error rate, confidence parameters, etc. Stating the outcome in an absolute number is incorrect. As per Table 14.1 approximately 84 per cent of the medical costs were paid by Medicare, private insurance, self insured, Medicare, etc. Medicaid paid approximately 16 per cent of the costs. Medicare is a government insurance program paid for by the beneficiaries over their working lives. This is a far different cry than the implication that all or most of the aforementioned costs fell on the public purse. Some of the economic costs are probably soft dollar costs.  For example, approximately 20 years ago I was injured in a motorcycle accident, and I was off work for a week.  That would have been classified as an economic cost, i.e. I was not working although I was being paid.  However, when I returned to work, I caught up on the work that was waiting for me.  It is in these areas that measuring the impact of motor vehicle crashes gets a bit shaky. It is interesting to note that some of the estimated medical costs stem from data compiled as far back as 1996.  That is pretty old for a study that purports to show the results in 2010.  Moreover, the outputs are a function of statistical sampling.  I have a high degree of confidence in the federal governments data sources, including its understanding of property statistical methodologies, but the outcomes should have been stated in ranges as opposed to absolute numbers.   I did not read the whole study.  It is 306 pages long. I have better things to do. But I did run a couple of searches on it to get the results shown above.
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