May 06, 2011
By: Jana Bell
A report says there may be a positive side to escalating prices at the gas pump, as consumers tend to file auto insurance claims for car crashes at a slower rate during periods of high-priced gasoline.
The study by Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center, published in the Journal of Safety Research and Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that the number of traffic accidents appears to decrease while the price of gasoline climbs. Even crashes caused by drunk driving seemed to decline during those times, the research showed, and they seemed to have an effect on crashes involving drivers of all ages at varying intervals.
"The results suggest that prices have both short-term and intermediate-term effects on reducing traffic crashes," Guangqing Chi, an assistant professor of sociology, wrote in the study.
Chi defined short-term effects as impacts on a monthly basis while intermediate-term were ones over the course of a year.
Drivers across the U.S. have encountered steep price increases at the pump. According to the Department of Energy, the average price of gasoline in the U.S. was $3.963 during the week ending May 2.
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