Annual cost of road accidents could be as much as £34 billion
The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the cost of damage-only accidents amounted to an estimated £15.12 billion last year but if you factor in unreported injury accidents that figure could easily double.
The department said the figures reflected the loss of output due to injury, the medical costs and human costs of casualties.
These human costs were "based on willingness to pay to avoid pain, grief and suffering to the casualty, relatives and friends, as well as intrinsic loss of enjoyment of life in the case of fatalities".
In June, the department announced that road deaths dipped 8% last year to a record low of 1,754, with deaths falling for all road user groups except pedal cyclists.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said today: "Road deaths in Britain are now at their lowest levels since records began and our roads are among some of the safest in the world, which is welcome news.
"But let's not forget that each road death represents the tragic loss of someone's loved one. That's why there is no room for complacency and why the Government will continue to crack down on the most dangerous drivers and improve training to make our roads safe for everyone."
Despite the reduction in road deaths year on year, the government revealed last week that the number of drink-drive fatalities is on the rise.
The department said that the provisional estimate of the number of drink-drive fatalities in 2012 was 280 - a 17% rise on the 2011 figure.
