Comment He has a source for the total cost number (Score 1) 394
He references the NHTSA's study, The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes for the cost being $230 Billion.
"...accidents cause more than death and injury. They also clog roads, damage vehicles and require extensive emergency response systems. The NHTSA has attempted to quantify the total cost of accidents, and while the numbers are subject to debate. In The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, they cite $230 billion per year, or about 2.3% of the GDP. Other estimates range as high as 4% of the GDP.
"...calculations have also been done to work this figure out as a cost per mile driven, as we do for depreciation and fuel. Estimates I have seen range from 10 cents/mile (using above $230B number) to as high as 30 cents. Numbers for motorcycles go as high as 50 cents/mile. For those who accept higher numbers like 20 cents, this is more expensive than the gasoline (which is 17 cents/mile in a 25mpg car) and in most cases more than the depreciation, which is to say more than the cost of the car itself."
The article you give says the NHTSA thinks the number might be higher than $230B today. And even the AAA analysis has the total cost of accidents at $1050 per person--no small change--and the cost of traffic congestion at $430.
I spend about $.16 per mile for gasoline, so the cost of accidents is higher than gasoline or depreciation for me.