Davis Law Group, P.S.

10 Facts Employers Must Know about Automobile Accidents

For any employer, particularly companies that have employees driving company vehicles, should implement a safe driving company at their organization.

If you aren’t convinced, read these facts:

1. Automobile accidents are the primary cause of fatality for all age groups from 3 to 33 years of age. Car accidents are the third main cause of years of potential life lost for all ages combined.

2. MVA accidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the United States.

3. A standard motorist in the U.S. travels 12,000 to 15,000 miles annually and has a one in 15 chance of being associated in a MVA collision each year. With most fleet drivers traveling 20,000 to 25,000 miles or more each year, they have a greater crash exposure.

4. The most dangerous part of the day for any employee is the time they spend in their vehicle witha crash occurring every 5 seconds, property damage occurring every 7 seconds, an injury occurring every 10 seconds, and a motor vehicle fatality occurring every 12
minutes.

5. Forty-one percent of the average vehicle miles traveled per household are from commuting to and from work (27%) and driving on work-related business (14%).

6. In 2000, the economic cost of accidents to employers was $60 billion resulting in 3 million lost workdays. Two-thirds of the cost ($40 billion) was from on-the-job crashes while one-third ($20 billion) was from off-the-job crashes for employees and their benefit-eligible dependents.

7. The average on-the-job crash costs an employer about $16,500 or just under $0.16 per mile driven. Crashes involving injuries cost substantially more — $504,408 for a fatal injury and $73,750 for a nonfatal injury.

8. More than 90% of car crashes caused by human error, employers with high roadway exposure are at risk for a serious collision resulting in a lawsuit against their business. Damages awarded to plaintiff’s making negligence claims against companies are at an all time high, settlements of $1 million or more are not atypical.

9. The development, implementation, enforcement, and monitoring of a strong driver safety program can protect an organization’s human and financial resources. Such a program allows an organization to be proactive in controlling crash risks and is the first line of defense against the potentially staggering costs from motor vehicle crashes involving employees.

10. In 2005, 43,443 people were in fatal accidents and 2,699,000 were injured in 6,159,000 police-reported automobile collision. Daily that accounts for 17,000 reported car accidents and 119 fatalities.



Click here to read more about programs that you can implement at the workplace.