More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions--a substantially more lethal factor than drunken driving, speeding or failing to use safety belts--according to a landmark study released today. Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38% of nonfatal injuries, the report found.

In revealing that deficiencies in the roadway environment contributed to more than 22,000 fatalities and cost the nation more than $217 billion annually, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) concluded that making the roadway environment more protective and forgiving is essential to reducing highway fatalities and costs.

“If we put as much focus on improving road safety conditions as we do in urging people not to drink and drive, we’d save thousands of lives and billions of dollars every year,” principal study author Dr. Ted Miller said. Miller, an internationally recognized safety economist with PIRE, added, “Safer drivers and safer cars remain vitally important, but safer roadways are critical to saving lives, preventing injuries and reducing costs.”

Titled “On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways,” the study found the $217 billion cost of deficient roadway conditions dwarfs the costs of other safety factors, including: $130 billion for alcohol, $97 billion for speeding or $60 billion for failing to wear a safety belt. Indeed, the $217 billion figure is more than three-and-a-half times the amount of money government at all levels is investing annually in roadway capital improvements, $59 billion, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The report concluded that roadway-related crashes impose $20 billion in medical costs; $46 billion in productivity costs; $52 billion in property damage and other resource costs; and $99 billion in quality-of-life costs, which measure the value of pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life by those injured or killed in crashes and their families. The report also found that crashes linked to road conditions cost American businesses an estimated $22 billion at a time when many companies are struggling. According to the report, crashes linked to road conditions cost taxpayers over $12 billion every year.

“Recent concerns about swine flu pale in comparison to the number of crash victims I treat,” said Dr. Jared Goldberg, an emergency room physician in Alexandria, Va. “In medical terms, highway fatalities and injuries have reached epidemic proportions, and efforts to prevent further spread of this plague are essential. In the absence of a true vaccine to defend ourselves, fixing dangerous roads would help prevent traffic crashes from occurring in the first place.”

“On a Crash Course” identifies ways transportation officials can improve road conditions to save lives and reduce injuries. For example, immediate solutions for problem spots include: replacing nonforgiving poles with breakaway poles, using brighter and more durable pavement markings, adding rumble strips to shoulders, mounting more guardrails or safety barriers and installing better signs with easier-to-read legends.

The report also analyzed crash costs on a state-by-state basis. The 10 states with the:

* Highest total cost from crashes involving deficient road conditions are (alphabetically): Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas;

Highest road-related crash costs per million vehicle-miles of travel are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia; and

* Highest road-related crash costs per mile of road are: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.
PIRE conducted the study on behalf of the Transportation Construction Coalition, and the full report is available at www.transportationconstructioncoalition.org.