Maine’s tourism season coincides with construction season — when road repairs kick into high gear — and the Maine Turnpike Authority is warning drivers about the dangers of speeding in work zones.
Maine sees roughly 600 work-zone crashes a year, resulting in injuries and fatalities, but also emergency response costs, insurance hikes and infrastructure repair.
When it comes to the related financial burden, a new term is being used to refer to the resulting financial burden: the “crash tax.”
“It’s not a literal tax, but rather a statewide economic drain quietly paid by drivers, insurers, employers, emergency responders, health care systems and government budgets,” the Maine Turnpike Authority said.
The quasi-state agency notes that it uses no tax dollars. Nearly 65% of toll revenue comes from out-of-state drivers and freight carriers.
Traffic on the Maine Turnpike totaled 72.6 million vehicles last year. Traffic peaks in August at more than 10 million vehicle trips, compared with around six million in February.
Crash tax in Maine
The so-called crash tax is an estimated $2.4 billion, or $1,396 per resident, according to the Maine Turnpike Authority.
Work-zone crashes disproportionately contribute to these expenses through emergency services, infrastructure damage, productivity loss and rising insurance premiums, the authority said. Only a small fraction of the costs are recovered directly — the majority remain hidden in premiums, health care spending and reduced economic output.
Drivers and insurers bear the burden through increases in premiums, deductibles, medical costs, and loss of wages.
Employers are also affected, especially when workers are injured in crashes while on the job, which can cost anywhere from $25,000 to more than $750,000.
Health care systems and local and state governments are also on the hook.
“Crashes, particularly in construction zones, don’t just cause delays — they decrease economic output, strain public resources and impact the workforce,” the authority said. “As Maine’s labor market remains tight and construction season on roads is about to seriously accelerate, the economic stakes continue to rise.”
