Serious auto accidents decline, but injury claims remain high

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Serious auto accidents decline, but injury claims remain high

By Insure.com

Although the number of auto accidents causing serious injuries continues to decline, drivers aren’t shy about claiming those injuries.

A study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC), an industry trade group, reports that one in every four auto accidents results in a bodily injury claim. That number represents a 19 percent increase from 1980 to 2003 according to the updated, “Trends in Auto Injury Claims, 2004 edition.” During the same time period, property damage claims decreased by 20 percent. The injury rate, although still high, has dropped to 1.05 claims per 100 insured cars after peaking in 1995 at 1.22.

"The good news is that auto safety campaigns and the manufacture of safer cars have made a difference," says Elizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president at the IRC.

Massachusetts again tops the list with its residents noted for the most problems driving. The Bay State ranks No. 1 in both bodily injury claim rates and property damage claim rates. Folks in North Dakota claim they were injured the least, and the lowest rate of property damage claims comes out of Wyoming. See the table below to find out where your state ranks.

2003 Claim rate statistics
Bodily injury claims			Property damage claims
State	Rank	Number of claims per 100 insured cars	State	Rank	Number of claims per 100 insured cars
Massachusetts	1	2.55	Massachusetts	1	7.33
Louisiana	2	2.14	Washington, D.C.	2	5.65
Rhode Island	3	1.84	Rhode Island	3	5.24
Washington, D.C.	4	1.63	Maryland	4	4.7
Nevada	5	1.56	Louisiana	5	4.62
Maryland	6	1.43	Georgia	6	4.51
Connecticut	7	1.38	Texas	7	4.5
Oregon	8	1.36	New Hampshire	8	4.47
South Carolina	8	1.36	New York	9	4.4
Washington	9	1.35	Connecticut	10	4.32
Texas	10	1.33	California	11	4.2
Arizona	11	1.32	Florida	12	4.02
Oklahoma	12	1.27	Missouri	13	3.99
California	13	1.22	Illinois	14	3.96
North Carolina	13	1.22	Virginia	15	3.92
Delaware	14	1.2	Delaware	16	3.87
Georgia	15	1.18	Michigan	17	3.79
New Mexico	16	1.16	Hawaii	17	3.79
West Virginia	17	1.15	Ohio	18	3.74
Arkansas	18	1.05	Nevada	19	3.71
Virginia	19	1.00	New Jersey	20	3.7
Ohio	19	1.00	Utah	21	3.68
Missouri	20	0.95	Washington	22	3.58
Mississippi	21	0.94	Pennsylvania	22	3.58
Montana	21	0.94	Oregon	23	3.57
Utah	22	0.92	South Carolina	23	3.57
Illinois	23	0.91	Arizona	24	3.56
Florida	24	0.89	Indiana	25	3.54
Alaska	25	0.87	Nebraska	26	3.53
Idaho	26	0.85	North Carolina	26	3.53
New Hampshire	27	0.83	Oklahoma	27	3.52
New York	28	0.82	Alaska	28	3.51
Tennessee	28	0.82	Kansas	29	3.41
Maine	29	0.81	West Virginia	30	3.4
Indiana	29	0.81	Maine	31	3.39
Nebraska	30	0.79	Colorado	32	3.35
New Jersey	31	0.75	Vermont	32	3.35
Alabama	32	0.73	Tennessee	33	3.28
Wisconsin	32	0.73	Alabama	34	3.24
Vermont	33	0.71	Arkansas	35	3.19
Kentucky	34	0.62	Kentucky	35	3.19
Iowa	35	0.6	New Mexico	36	3.16
Pennsylvania	35	0.6	Minnesota	36	3.16
South Dakota	36	0.58	Iowa	37	3.04
Wyoming	37	0.54	Mississippi	38	3.01
Colorado	38	0.42	North Dakota	39	2.94
Kansas	39	0.34	Montana	40	2.83
Hawaii	40	0.31	Wisconsin	41	2.77
Minnesota	41	0.3	Idaho	42	2.77
Michigan	42	0.18	South Dakota	43	2.69
North Dakota	43	0.16	Wyoming	44	2.49
Countrywide	1.05		Countrywide	3.97
Source: Insurance Research Council

Last Updated Feb. 1, 2004

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