Motor vehicle crash injuries on and off the job cost employers $41.5 billion in 2000 and required them to pay $18.4 billion in wage-risk premiums. Employer health care spending for motor vehicle crashes was $7.7 in 2000. Another $8.6 billion was spent on sick leave and life and disability insurance for crash victims. New York and New Jersey employers carry the heaviest burden per employee in the nation: motor vehicle crash injuries on and off the job cost them $630 and $540 (direct costs) per employee, respectively. Restraint non-use by on-the-job employees cost employers over $1 billion a year in direct costs and a similar amount in wage-risk premiums. The total annual employer cost of alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes exceeds $9.0 billion. Traffic safety programs are a way to reduce employer costs without reducing the fringe benefits offered to employees.
Abstract