The document discusses the costs of traffic congestion and crashes in the New York metropolitan area. It reports that the cost of crashes was $20.2 billion in 2007, compared to $8 billion for congestion. Nationwide, the cost of crashes was over 2.5 times more than the cost of congestion in 2005. While congestion and crash costs can be calculated for any city, crashes pose greater economic and human costs according to the analysis of national and local transportation data.

1. The Cost of Crashes vs.
The Cost of Congestion
Eric Tang, P.E., Cambridge Systematics
Stop Speeding Summit
November 19, 2010

2. Cost of Congestion in the New York
Metropolitan Area
$8.0 Billion (2007)

3. Question...
Do you believe that the Cost of Congestion is greater than the
Cost of Crashes?
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4. Geographic Definitions
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5. Traffic Fatalities and Injuries in the
New York Metropolitan Area
In 2007:
– Over 1,000 fatalities in New York metro area
• 273 in New York City proper
– 200,000 injuries in New York metro area
– Comparison:
• 41,000 fatalities nationwide
• 2.5 million injuries nationwide

6. FHWA Crash Costs Estimation
Comprehensive crash costs
based on:
– Medically-related costs
– Emergency medical services
– Property damage
– Lost productivity
– Monetized Quality-Adjusted
Life Years (QALYs)

7. Value of Fatalities and Injuries
Based on FHWA guidance document on comprehensive cost
of crashes
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Severity of Crash 2007 dollars
Fatality $5,800,000
Injury $72,000

8. $1 to $5 billion
Cost of Crashes in the New York
Metropolitan Area
$5 to $10 billion
$10 to $15 billion
$15 to $20 billion
Over $20 billion

9. Cost of Crashes in the New York
Metropolitan Area
$20.2 Billion (2007)

10. Unreported Crashes
Crash data is as good as the
agencies charged with producing
the data
Property Damage Only (PDO)
crash numbers may not reflect
the actual number of PDO crashes
due to threshold reporting for the
state
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11. 10
Comparison To Other Cities
(2005 data)
Examples Congestion Crashes
 L.A: $9.3 billion $10.6 billion
 New York: $7.4 billion $18.0 billion
 Chicago: $4.0 billion $8.4 billion
 Miami: $2.7 billion $7.8 billion
 D.C: $2.3 billion $5.1 billion

12. 11
Comparison To Other Cities
(2005 data)
Examples Congestion Crashes
 Rochester: $64 million $1.0 billion
 Albany: $86 million $825 million
 Buffalo: $112 million $1.1 billion
 Hartford: $166 million $1.3 billion
 Bridgeport: $280 million $955 million
 New Haven: $104 million $1.1 billion

13. 12
Ratio of Costs (2005 data)
Ratio Crash Cost/Congestion Cost
 NYC: 2.44
 Albany: 9.46
 Buffalo: 9.74
 Rochester: 15.85

14. Conclusions
The cost of crashes is 2.5 times more than the cost of
congestion (2005 data)
Congestion: $67.6 billion
Crashes: $166.7 billion
You can develop your own Cost of Crashes analysis for any
geographical area and educate the public
Speed not only kills – it also costs…

15. Thank You!
Eric Tang
o Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
o (510) 873-8700
o etang@camsys.com
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