When American motorists talk about transportation problems, congestion is generally their main complaint, but a new study from AAA finds the staggering cost of traffic fatalities is more than double the cost of congestion.

"Nearly 43,000 people die on the nation's roadways each year. That's nearly five people each hour," said Sean Comey, spokesperson for AAA of Northern California. "Yet the annual tally of motor vehicle-related fatalities barely registers a blip in most people's minds. It's time for motor vehicle crashes to be viewed as the public health threat they are. If there were two jumbo jets crashing every week, the government would ground all planes until we fixed the problem. Yet we've come to accept this sort of death toll with car crashes."

The first-of-its-kind study found that the national cost of crashes is $164 billion a year, nearly two-and-a-half times greater than the $67 billion price tag for congestion. Costs measured include medical, emergency and police services, property damage, lost productivity and quality of life.

AAA's study examined costs in most major metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Total crash costs correspond to the size of a metropolitan area. Larger cities have more traffic and a greater likelihood of crashes, hence, increased total costs simply due to a multiplier effect. However, on a per person basis, smaller cities generally have higher costs. Among the nation's very large metropolitan areas, the San Francisco-Oakland area actually had the lowest total crash costs, at about $2.7 million or $658 per person. Among large metro areas, crashes in the Sacramento area cost about $2.1 million, or $1,040 per person. In San Jose, crashes cost about $1.1 million per year, or $641 per person. Crash costs in Fresno, a medium metro area, run about $988,000, or $1,126 per person.

AAA hopes the study will raise awareness among lawmakers and the public on the importance of transportation safety investments. AAA is working to pass legislation and enforce laws related to seatbelts, drunken driving and a graduated driver licensing systems.