driver-qualification-handbook-english

2The consequences of road crashesAlmost every day the news media carry stories and pictures about road crashes, deathsand injuries. But most drivers don’t think too much about the risks and the injury costs ofdriving a vehicle when they get into the driver’s seat.Now that you’ve been driving for about three years and know a bit more about it,you might like to reflect on the adverse consequences of being involved in a crash foryou, your family, your friends and the broader community. The effects of road crashescontinue long after the TV news stories are gone.Road crashes in Australia cost the community – including you – a lot of moneyevery year. For example, the average cost of:• A fatality is about $5.8 million.• A serious injury (requiring hospital treatment) is $471,000.• A minor injury is about $82,000.• A property damage only crash is worth about $8,000.These are big numbers and perhaps hard to get your mind around, but here is thebottom line – in terms of the human cost, the big-ticket items are not the cost ofpicking you up off the road and taking you to hospital (or arranging your funeral).As the graph shows, most costs relate to the cost of long-term care for you or theother injured people (24 per cent).Funeral, coronerand correctionalWorkplacedisruptionMedical/ambulanceand rehab1%4%4%Legal10%Labour in thehouseholdLabour in theworkplace18%19%Quality of life21%Long term care24%Source (4)0 5% 10% 15% 20%% of all costs25%30%30Driver qualification handbook