Car crashes cost Kansas economy millions every year
6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, 2008
For every person killed in a car crash in Kansas, our economy takes a nearly $3.4 million blow, according to information compiled by Robert Hecht, Shawnee County district attorney.
On Sept. 19, 2006, a 16-year-old driver slammed into Mark Garey’s car near 29th and Westedge, killing his 7-year-old son on impact.
“I turned and saw how Noah looked and basically freaked out,” said Mark Garey, a few days later.
Three adults and a child died in a head-on crash in Osage County on April 27, 2007.
Statistics for Kansas
Read the numbers compiled for Kansas and the nation at the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration Web site, www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov.
On Nov. 1, 2006, 16-year-old Andrew McLaren was killed after an SUV slammed into his car at 29th and Randolph. His parents witnessed the accident.
In 2002, Jim Dultmeier’s 19-year-old daughter was killed in a drunk driving accident.
“It’s very painful, it’s very painful knowing that she’s not going to come home,” he said.
Every loss is painful for families, but the fatal crashes are also painful for our economy.
Hecht estimates that in 2006 fatal accidents cost the Kansas economy more than $1.5 billion. The number comes from things like medical expenses, work loss, property damage, and the long-term health and quality-of-life impact.
“It isn’t very pleasant to go to an accident scene at 3 in the morning and there’s a 16-year-old girl lying on the shoulder that will never graduate from high school,” Hecht said.
He said the number of deaths could be limited, with more public safety education, more addiction treatment programs for drunk drivers and by spending more money on making roads safer.
Lawmakers are currently considering a bill, which would impose more restrictions on young drivers. Car crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for teens.
The fatality crash rate was higher in Kansas than the national average in 2006, the latest year in which data is available. Nearly 17 out of every 100,000 Kansans died in fatal crashes, compared to a little more than 14 of every 100,000 Americans.
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