When transportation experts say the road project is worth it, they’re probably wrong

FastCompany: The more time people spend in traffic , the more likely they are to be involved in a crash. Every day, around 100 Americans are killed in car traffic . That’s 100 families who receive the devastating news that their loved one will never return home. As tragic as these deaths are on a personal level, there’s also a significant economic cost to consider. It sounds crass to put a dollar value on human life, but it might be an effective way to stop a dangerous transportation project before it gets past the drawing board . How much are you worth?

A family member, an employer, and an insurance agent will each have very different answers about your value as a human being in your current circumstances. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep

quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} The cost of you not working According to the National Safety Council, the total cost of motor vehicle deaths, injuries, and property damage is closing in on $500 billion per yea

r. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety found that motor vehicle crash injuries on- and off-the-job cost employers $72.2 billion in 2018 (their most recent study year). On-the-job crashes cost employers $26,081 per crash. It costs them $66,119 per million vehicle-miles of travel and $78,418 per injury. And keep in mind this data is eight years old: “Including insurance expenses, employer health care (medical) spending for motor vehicle crashes totaled $19 billion in 2018. Another $17 billion was spent on sick leave and life and disability insurance for crash victims.

Protecting employees from motor vehicle crash injuries can be a valuable investment of time and resources.” The cost of you not living The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) says the value of a statistical life is roughly $10 million, although they suggest using a range that includes high and low values. That means that every traffic fatality prevented through a traffic calming project is worth $10 million in economic benefits. It’s an order-of-magnitude starting point, so don’t get hung up on precision. Take a look at this summary from USDOT’s chief economist if you’re curious about their methodology.

Count the costs Let’s say your county is advertising a big road project to reduce congestion and improve safety. They’re using phrases like “corridor improvement” and “signal upgrades” in their marketing material. But you can’t shake the curiosity of a roundabout instead of a massive intersection with dual left-turn lanes, more through lanes, and all the other status quo engineer fixings. You seem to recall a third of traffic crash deaths happen at signalized intersections .

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The article addresses a significant issue in transportation planning that could influence brand strategy professionals involved in urban development and infrastructure projects, while also introducing a somewhat novel perspective on valuing human life in economic terms.