NEW YORK

Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: Costly But Preventable

Motor vehicle crashes and their resulting injuries 

are preventable; state-level changes are especially 

effective for prevention. 

TAKING ACTION CAN SAVE LIVES

In 2018, more than 1,000 people in New York were killed 

in motor vehicle traffic crashes. New York can consider 

the following proven strategies, and the enforcement of 

related policies, to save lives and money:

• Child passenger safety laws that require proper car seat and 

booster seat use until at least age 9

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

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

◦ A minimum age of 18 for lifting both nighttime driving and 

young passenger restrictions

$1.44 Billion

total cost of traffic crash deaths 

in New York in 2018.

$17 Million MEDICAL COSTS

$1.42 Billion WORK LOSS COSTS

+

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY TYPE OF ROAD USER

NEW YORK

NEW YORK

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

Source: CDC WISQARS, 2018

$807M

Motor Vehicle

Occupants

57%

$261M

Motorcyclists

18%

$318M

Pedestrians

22% $39M

Bicyclists

3%

COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY AGE GROUP

$57M

Older Adults

4%

$37M

Children

3%

$90M

Teens

7%

$540M

Adults

40%

$624M

Young Adults

46%

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

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

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts 
The best way to reduce motor vehicle crash costs is to 

prevent crashes. Some effective strategies for preventing 

crashes include:

• automated red-light and speed-camera enforcement

• comprehensive graduated driver licensing systems

• publicized sobriety checkpoints

• mandatory ignition interlocks for all (including 

first-time) offenders convicted of 

alcohol-impaired driving

HOW DOES YOUR STATE COMPARE?

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.

November 2020

The next best way to reduce costs is to prevent injuries 

when crashes occur. Proven ways to prevent injuries during 

a crash include:

• high-visibility enforcement of seat belt and child 

restraint laws

• laws that require car seat or booster seat use for 

children until at least age 9

• distribution plus education programs for car seats 

and booster seats

• bicycle helmet laws for children

STATES IN YOUR REGION

Total population in 2018 Traffic crash death costs in 2018

New Jersey 8.9M $798M

New York 19.5M $1.44B

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