STATE LEGISLATION AND OCCUPANT RESTRAINT

A state government incurs many direct expenses as a result of highway accidents which occur in the state. These include state support of hospitals where treatment of injury has not been otherwise paid for, sick leave for state employees unable to work because of accidents, insurance premiums for state agencies and educational institutions, uncompensated damage to highways and highway furniture, aid to dependent children whose dependence resulted from automobile accidents, etc. State legislators have opportunities to enact laws which may directly affect either the likelihood of accidents or the likelihood of injury given an accident. This study, using data mainly for the State of Michigan, estimates such state expenditures, and provides examples of models to compute the potential costs and savings to the state which would result from legislation.