Published: 11:15 AM, 11/05/2009

Last updated: 12:52 PM, 11/17/2009

By: Melanie Marshall

Driving while impaired costs not only the person arrested and those involved in a collision, but also the community.

The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) distributed cost calculations for alcohol-related crashes for North Carolina counties this week.

The cost data is based on the number of alcohol-related crashes, severity of injuries in each collision and age of the victims. Calculating factors include the medical cost of treatment, amount of work time lost, pain and suffering as a result of the crash.

An alcohol-related, head-on collision that kills three people exacts a much higher price than an alcohol-related fender bender that results in only minor damage to the vehicles and no injuries to the occupants, according to the PIRE report.

The report notes that while accidents used in the calculation are from a specific timeframe (one year) the costs incurred are estimated over a longer timeframe.

There are two forms of cost associated with alcohol-related crashes - monetary costs and quality of life costs. Monetary aspects are work loss, medical costs including increased insurance premiums for the society as a whole, property damage and public services utilized.

The quality of life calculation is more in-depth. The aspect is based on the amount an average person spends, in dollars and time, for safety. This encompasses auto safety features, smoke detectors, speed choice while driving and extra wages paid for risky jobs. Also referred to as value of survival, the quality of life number includes the value of future earnings in the cases of fatality. In cases of injury, six areas are studied by use of surveys including values of functioning, mobility, cognitive, bending and grasping, pain, sensory and cosmetic.

PIRE estimates the cost per fatality in North Carolina was $4.7 million in 2005, the figure used to calculate the statistics for 2005-07. This amount is comprised of $1.35 million in monetary costs. Work loss constitutes 82 percent of this number at $1.1 million per fatality. Medical costs are $25,000 and insurance costs are $206,000. Property damage is $13,900, while public services made up less than one percent of the total at $1,100 per fatality.

The cost per injured survivor was estimated to be $149,000. Work loss accounts for 52 percent at $36,900. Medical costs are $15,200 and insurance costs account for $11,400. Property damage is estimated to be $10,000 and public services are $200 per injured survivor.

Using the above estimates, PIRE reports the costs of alcohol-related crash fatalities for 2005-07 were $23.5 million for five deaths in Watauga County. There were 144 injured survivors, amounting to a cost of $21.5 million.