Atlanta , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Motor vehicle accidents do n't just impact the people involved , they also impact the economy , to the tune of just under $ 100 billion for medical care and injury-related productivity losses in the United States each year , according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday . That includes $ 3.6 billion annually toward injuries to children . On average , each licensed driver in the United States ponies up about $ 500 a year toward the total costs , the CDC said . `` Every 10 seconds , someone in the United States is treated in an emergency department for crash-related injuries , and nearly 40,000 people die from these injuries each year . This study highlights the magnitude of the problem of crash-related injuries from a cost perspective , and the numbers are staggering , '' Dr. Grant Baldwin , the director of the CDC 's Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention , National Center for Injury Prevention and Control , said in a press release . According to the study , injuries , both fatal and nonfatal , to people riding in cars and light trucks cost $ 70 billion a year . Injuries to motorcyclists cost $ 12 billion . Bicyclists and pedestrians , who are vulnerable against motor vehicles , cost $ 5 billion and $ 10 billion a year respectively , the CDC said . The study also found the amount of money that goes toward motorcyclists ' and pedestrians ' injuries is disproportionate when compared to the number of injuries , likely due to the severity of their injuries . While motorcyclists only account for 6 percent of motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries , they lead to 12 percent of the costs . And pedestrians , who only comprise 5 percent of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries , consume 10 percent of the total costs , according to the study . The CDC said several policy initiatives have been proven to cut down on crash injuries and deaths , including graduated driver licensing programs , which allow new teen drivers to get road experience in low-risk situations . The CDC says strong graduated driver licensing laws have been associated with up to 40 percent decreases in crashes among 16-year-old drivers . Other CDC-recommended policies include child safety seat education , seat belt laws and enforcement , sobriety checkpoints , and motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws . The CDC said the study , published in the the journal `` Traffic Injury Prevention , '' used data from 2005 , the last year from which relevant data were available from multiple sources .
Motor vehicle crashes lead to about $ 100 billion a year in medical costs , says the CDC . Children 's injuries cost $ 50 billion a year . Motorcyclists and pedestrians tend to get worse injuries and have higher medical costs . Preventive measures include monitoring teen drivers , seat belts , safety belts , helmets .