CARNAGE on Suffolk's roads will cost the taxpayer £130 million this year.Road campaigners claim the figure is conservative and could even be multiplied by ten.
CARNAGE on Suffolk's roads will cost the taxpayer £130 million this year.
Road campaigners claim the figure is conservative and could even be multiplied by ten.
According to figures revealed by Suffolk County Council, each road death costs society a staggering £1.6 million and a serious injury £192,000.
The financial impact of death and injury is worked out using a complex formula based on costs ranging from emergency service staff time to the impact on the traffic and haulage network.
So far this year, 42 people have been killed on the county's roads and about 350 people seriously injured.
The final cost of the deaths and injuries is estimated to be more than £130 million but it could be more according to national road safety group, RoadPeace.
Spokeswoman for the group Brigitte Chaudhry said: “These figures do not include the wider impact on the family, which is enormous.
“Many people do not know how many relatives are unable to return to work or who suffer illness as a result of losing somebody.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here