The cost of crime vs. car crashes may surprise you. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute released a study this week that shows crimes costing the state $622 million in 2015, however, the price tag on car crashes was over $4.6 billion.
The study used traffic and crime data from 2015 to estimate the dollar amounts to the state, and even broke it down to county.
Costs include medical care, future earnings lost, public services and property damage and loss.
When considering something you can't put a price tag on like pain, suffering, and fear, the crime costs jumped to $2.6 billion while traffic crashes went as high as $19.3 billion in total cost.
“This report underlines the vital role of traffic safety efforts in our state,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “Traffic crashes come with a tremendous personal toll and an enormous price tag. Using federal funds for seat belt and drunk driving patrols throughout the year helps save both the lives and the money of our state’s residents.”
The five counties with the highest crash costs are Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Genesee.
For more details, see the attached release from the Michigan State Police.
