One would think that the cost of repairing a vehicle after an accident is about the same, no matter where you live. But, as it turns out, that’s far from the truth.
A new study has determined that there's a wide disparity between the average cost of vehicle repair -- in fact, about $1,500 between the cheapest and the most expensive locales.
The Dolman Law Group conducted a study to determine which states have the highest costs associated with car accidents. The firm collected data on licensed drivers, the number of fatal accidents, and the estimated economic costs for each state. The final ranking was made based on costs per capita.
The Ocean State is in the thick of things again
It seems like no one can do a study about cars or driving without Rhode Island showing up. In one ConsumerAffairs study, it ranked worst when it comes to bad roads. However, in another survey, it showed up as the state with the least number of auto accidents.
In the Dolman Law data, Rhode Island hit another high, but one it wants any more than the one about bad roads. The researchers found the Ocean State has the highest car accident repair costs with $1,987 per capita. Total costs for the state amounted to over $2 billion.
“Only 68.8% of the Rhode Island population are licensed drivers, a low percentage when compared to other states in the ranking, so car accident costs are much higher per 100,000 drivers with over $2,700,” the researchers said, then gave the state something to feel good about: Rhode Island has the lowest fatality rate in the ranking.
Rounding out the Top 10
Georgia ranks second in terms of the cost of car accidents – $1,761 per repair. Then, close behind is Connecticut at $1,712 per capita.
New Jersey takes the fourth place with $1,577 car accidents costs per capita. Delaware holds ddown fifth place in the ranking of the states with the highest car accident costs, with $1,518 per capita.
The complete list
Here’s the complete worst-to-best list that the Dolman researchers found, ranked by the cost of repairing a vehicle per capita:
State | Costs per capita |
Rhode Island | $1,987 |
Georgia | $1,761 |
Connecticut | $1,712 |
New Jersey | $1,577 |
Delaware | $1,518 |
Tennessee | $1,472 |
Wyoming | $1,457 |
Louisiana | $1,413 |
Maine | $1,396 |
Kentucky | $1,378 |
Alabama | $1,313 |
Indiana | $1,269 |
Michigan | $1,232 |
New Hampshire | $1,223 |
South Carolina | $1,218 |
New York | $1,214 |
District of Columbia | $1,178 |
North Carolina | $1,148 |
Missouri | $1,104 |
Illinois | $1,103 |
Wisconsin | $1,084 |
Massachusetts | $1,072 |
South Dakota | $1,063 |
Colorado | $1,047 |
Arkansas | $1,041 |
New Mexico | $1,036 |
Ohio | $1,036 |
US | $1,035 |
Kansas | $1,024 |
Montana | $1,024 |
Vermont | $1,001 |
Texas | $998 |
Maryland | $977 |
North Dakota | $965 |
Florida | $932 |
Nebraska | $892 |
Iowa | $885 |
Utah | $874 |
Oklahoma | $864 |
Nevada | $859 |
Alaska | $856 |
Mississippi | $851 |
Washington | $832 |
Arizona | $817 |
West Virginia | $815 |
Idaho | $758 |
Virginia | $756 |
California | $736 |
Minnesota | $674 |
Oregon | $669 |
Pennsylvania | $520 |
Hawaii | $410 |
