Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: Costly But Preventable 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

$1 Million MEDICAL COSTS + $204 Million WORK LOSS COSTS 

$205 Million 

total cost of traffic crash deaths 

in South Dakota in 2018. 

Motor vehicle crashes and their resulting injuries 

are preventable; state-level changes are especially 

effective for prevention. 

TAKING ACTION CAN SAVE LIVES 

In 2018, nearly 150 people in South Dakota were killed in 

motor vehicle traffic crashes. South Dakota can consider 

the following proven strategies, and the enforcement of 

related policies, to save lives and money: 

• A primary enforcement seat belt law that covers all 

seating positions 

• Child passenger safety laws that require proper car seat and 

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY TYPE OF ROAD USER 

 SOUTH DAKOTA

 

Source: CDC WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System), 2018 

*Cost is based on fewer than 20 deaths and may be unstable. 

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY AGE GROUP 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

booster seat use until at least age 9 

• Ignition interlock devices required for all (including first-time) 

offenders convicted of alcohol-impaired driving 

• A graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that includes: 

◦	 A minimum age of 16 for obtaining a learner’s permit 

◦	 A mandatory learner’s permit holding period of 12 months 

◦	 A minimum age of 18 for lifting both nighttime driving 

and young passenger restrictions 

 

Children: 0–14, Teens: 15–19, Young Adults: 20–34, Adults: 35–64, Older Adults: 65+
 

Source: CDC WISQARS, 2018
 

*Cost is based on fewer than 20 deaths and may be unstable.
 

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day. 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts 
 

 

 

HOW DOES YOUR STATE COMPARE? 

STATES IN YOUR REGION 

Total population in 2018 Traffic crash death costs in 2018 

Wyoming 0.6M $129M 

North Dakota 0.8M $152M 

South Dakota 0.9M $205M 

Montana 1.1M $262M 

Utah 3.2M $336M 

Colorado 5.7M $943M 

The cost figures presented in the fact sheets are based on information collected by each individual state. There may be differences between 

states’ methods of collection and categorization of these data. 

PREVENTION SAVES MONEY 

The best way to reduce motor vehicle crash costs is to The next best way to reduce costs is to prevent injuries 

prevent crashes. Some effective strategies for preventing when crashes occur. Proven ways to prevent injuries during 

crashes include: a crash include: 

• automated red-light and speed-camera enforcement • high-visibility enforcement of seat belt and child 

• comprehensive graduated driver licensing systems restraint laws 

• publicized sobriety checkpoints • primary seat belt laws for all seating positions 

• mandatory ignition interlocks for all (including • laws that require car seat or booster seat use for 

first-time) offenders convicted of children until at least age 9 

alcohol-impaired driving • distribution plus education programs for car seats 

and booster seats 

• bicycle helmet laws for children 

For more information about these and other effective programs, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety. 

CDC’S COST ESTIMATE TOOLS 

CDC’s interactive calculator, MV PICCS (Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator 

for States), was designed to help decision makers prioritize and select from a suite of 14 effective 

motor vehicle injury prevention interventions. At the state level, MV PICCS calculates the expected 

number and monetized value of injuries prevented and lives saved and the costs of implementation, 

while taking into account available resources. Visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator. 

CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) is an online, interactive 

system that provides reports of injury-related data. To find the costs of various injury deaths and 

nonfatal injuries, visit www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. 

July 2020