Car crashes cost the U.S. more than $300 billion each year, creating a significant financial burden for drivers and communities. To understand where this impact is greatest, the firm Conboy Law Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers has recently looked at the total annual costs related to motor vehicle crashes in each state. The information has been shared with Digital Journal.
These costs include medical expenses, lost productivity from missed work, property damage, emergency response services, and legal fees. To make a fair comparison between states, the total crash costs were divided by the number of registered vehicles in each state. This calculation provided an average cost per vehicle, showing how much each driver is burdened financially.
The key findings are:
| State | Cost of Crashes | Registered Cars | Cost per car |
| New Jersey | $12.81B | 2.2M | $5,720 |
| New York | $15.24B | 2.2M | $5,417 |
| District of Columbia | $859M | 164K | $5,224 |
| Rhode Island | $1.599B | 317K | $5,042 |
| Alaska | $592M | 127K | $4,661 |
| Wyoming | $788M | 175K | $4,488 |
| Connecticut | $4.88B | 1M | $4,485 |
| Delaware | $684M | 152K | $4,474 |
| Louisiana | $5.69B | 1.3M | $4,139 |
| Indiana | $6.37B | 1.7M | $3,697 |
As the table indicates, New Jersey tops the list for the costliest states for car accidents, with the highest per-vehicle crash price in the nation. It amounts to $5.7 thousand for each of the state’s 2.2 million registered cars. The state also sees the second-highest annual financial hit, reaching $12.8 billion.
New York comes in just behind its neighbour, New Jersey, with drivers paying upwards of $5.4 thousand after a crash. The state also sees the highest annual cost at $15.2 billion. Even with 2.8 million registered cars, New York drivers suffer a significant financial burden from all medical, legal, and property costs related to car crashes.
Coming in third place nationwide, the District of Columbia faces an economic burden from car accidents totaling $859 million each year (that breaks down to $5.2 thousand per car). For a relatively small area, this shows just how significant the financial impact of crashes can be on everyday drivers in the capital.
Rhode Island ranks fourth among the costliest U.S. states for car accidents, with a little over $5 thousand in costs. Similar in size to the District of Columbia, Rhode Island faces comparable costs per vehicle, while the total accident price tag for the state comes to $1.6 billion per year.
Alaska rounds out the top five most expensive states for collisions, at $4.6 thousand per car. In total, the financial burden on Alaskan drivers is high, at $592 million a year. The costs per vehicle are very high, compared to other states, because of the small number of drivers, with only 127 thousand registered.
Connecticut comes in seventh, reporting an average cost of $4.4 thousand. Over one million registered vehicles in the state have to deal with high medical costs and legal fees. Delaware ranks eighth as the costliest state for car accidents, suffering $4.4 thousand costs per car, similar to Connecticut. Total annual crash-related costs in Delaware come to $684 million, less than in Wyoming or the District of Columbia.
Louisiana racks up $4.1 thousand in costs per vehicle, placing it ninth in the ranking. Indiana closes the ranking of the costliest U.S. states for car accidents, with tenth place and $3.7 thousand price tag per vehicle.
