$1.3b cost of tragic crashes to Coast's economy

The financial toll of tragedies on our roads has been revealed, with more than $1.34 billion ripped from the community in the past five years.

FATAL CRASH: Fatal crashes like this one in August take a huge toll on the community, both emotionally and financially. Picture: 7 News Sunshine Coast

THE financial toll of tragedies on our roads has been revealed, with more than $1.34 billion ripped from the community in the past five years.

The figures were revealed as part of the Sunshine Coast Council's Integrated Transport Strategy.

Collated with data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, the figures estimated accounted for lost productivity, property damage, health care, emergency services and insurance costs, on top of the personal suffering.

From 2012-2017 there were 5039 reported crashes on Coast roads.

Each year about 400 crashes resulted in death or serious injury.

University of the Sunshine Coast adolescent risk research unit leader Dr Bridie Scott-Parker. Picture: Patrick Woods

The 92 fatalities in the region had cost an estimated $750 million, while the 1874 crashes requiring hospitalisation cost around $320 million.

Victims who required medical treatment ripped $241 million from the region's economy, while even minor injuries cost $31 million.

University of the Sunshine Coast road safety researcher and leader of the Adolescent Risk Research Unit Dr Bridie Scott-Parker said most people had no idea about the financial costs of road accidents and often never thought about them.

"They usually think about the insurance cost," she said.

"But repairing infrastructure, if you hit a power pole for example (they don't consider)."

Dr Scott-Parker said the flow-on effects of a serious injury from a crash also added up quickly.

From medical bills to parking at hospitals and lost wages of the victim and their carer, she said many failed to consider the effect.

"All of these costs add up," she said.

"For young people (killed or seriously injured) that's potentially 60 years of income gone in one fell swoop."

Dr Scott-Parker said she expected the true costs would be even greater than those estimated, as they were only for crashes reported.

She said in some cases she'd researched the "good" outcomes from serious crashes had left people wheelchair-bound, which meant major modifications to their homes and cars.

Some were left with permanent brain injuries and faced a life of unemployment.

"Some of them regret doing what they did and they step up and take ownership," she said.

Other victims she'd spoken with had recovered physically, but had been left with such deep psychological scars they were unable to work and became financial burdens on family.

For teenagers left with permanent injuries, she said it was the loss of spontaneity that hurt most.

The council hoped to reduce the risk of road trauma through major shifts in transport modes to ridesharing and public transport.