One preventable collision can become the most expensive line item in next year’s budget. The immediate costs vehicle damage, injuries, legal time are only the start; the longer shadow falls on insurance, where a single loss can alter your risk profile and trigger multi-year premium increases. National data show why the financial stakes are so high. NHTSA’s most recent comprehensive analysis estimates that motor vehicle crashes imposed $340 billion in economic costs in 2019, equal to 1.6% of U.S. GDP, with nearly three-quarters of those costs ultimately borne by people not directly involved through mechanisms like insurance premiums, taxes, congestion and fuel waste (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2023a; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2023b). For an employer, that macro-picture translates into higher loss experience, a less favorable risk classification, and rising premiums after a preventable crash.

Clarity on “preventable” matters because it directly influences your safety profile. FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program allows carriers to submit documentation through DataQs to have eligible crashes reviewed; non-preventable determinations are flagged in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System so they don’t distort a carrier’s crash history signal (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, n.d.-a; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, n.d.-b; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2024). Because SMS prioritizes carriers based on recent inspections and crash reports, a preventable collision that remains on the record increases the Crash Indicator signal and can trigger interventions that carry operational and administrative costs (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, n.d.-c). Industry stakeholders regularly consult these federal safety data, which is precisely why disciplined crash prevention and prompt use of the preventability review process when appropriate protects both safety and balance sheets (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2014).

The most reliable way to avoid premium pain is to prevent the crash in the first place. OSHA’s Recommended Practices emphasize building programs that find and fix hazards before injuries occur, with management leadership, worker participation, hazard controls, training, and continuous improvement forming the core of a resilient safety system (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d.). In transportation-heavy operations, DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy reinforces a Safe System approach safer people, vehicles, speeds, roads, and post-crash care so organizations address the multiple layers that turn a near miss into a claim, and a claim into a costly loss run that influences premiums for years (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2022). FEMA’s continuity guidance adds a financial resilience lens: planning for sustained operations after an incident limits secondary losses and supports a faster return-to-workforce productivity, which insurers also evaluate over time (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2021).

For construction, resilience means driver qualification, spotter communication, and mobile-equipment SOPs that eliminate backing strikes and low-speed collisions before they appear on your loss runs. In transportation, it’s hours-of-service discipline, defensive-driving refreshers, rigorous pre-trip inspections, and prompt CPDP submissions when crashes are clearly non-preventable. In general industry, it’s dock-traffic control, forklift-pedestrian separation, and yard-movement rules that close the door on costly claims. In environmental operations, it’s spill-response routing, secondary containment near traffic paths, and equipment-movement controls that prevent both injuries and environmental liability, which can further affect insurance placement and pricing.

At Key Safety LLC, we turn those principles into measurable premium protection. Our Document Development for Start-up Projects builds clear, OSHA- and DOT-aligned fleet and site procedures from day one. Our Service on Demand delivers rapid post-incident reviews, root-cause analysis, and CPDP documentation support to correct the record when appropriate. Our Regular Consultation Service maintains training cadence, audits SMS signals, and aligns program improvements with insurer expectations so that your next renewal reflects a safer, more resilient operation rather than one costly, preventable crash.

References

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2021, March 3). Continuity of operations planning. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/continuity

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (n.d.-a). Crash preventability determination program (CPDP). U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/crash-preventability-determination-program

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (n.d.-b). DataQs. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (2024, September 3). Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology, version 3 (PDF). U.S. Department of Transportation. https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/smsmethodology.pdf

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (n.d.-c). About CSA: The Safety Measurement System (SMS). U.S. Department of Transportation. https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/Measure

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2023a, January 10). NHTSA: Traffic crashes cost America $340 billion in 2019. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/traffic-crashes-cost-america-billions-2019

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2023b, February). The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes, 2019 (Revised) (Report No. DOT HS 813 403). U.S. Department of Transportation. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813403.pdf

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Recommended practices for safety and health programs. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/safety-management

U.S. Department of Transportation. (2022, January 27). National roadway safety strategy. https://www.transportation.gov/nrss

U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2014, February 3). Federal motor carrier safety: Modifying the CSA program would improve the ability to identify high risk carriers (GAO-14-114). https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-14-114.pdf