The Washington region is infamous for its crippling traffic — no matter the study, Washington ranks among the top cities in the country in terms of gridlock — but the costs of car crashes far outweigh the costs of congestion, a new study shows. Fatal car crashes and injuries take about $7.4 billion each year out of commuters’ wallets, compared with $4 billion for daily backups on roads like Interstate 270, the Capital Beltway, and Interstate 95 in Virginia, according to a AAA Mid-Atlantic study.

“The burdens associated with congestion weigh heavily on the minds of many Americans as they travel to and from work and school each day,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend. “However, at close to $8 billion annually, crashes cost local motorists almost double the amount of congestion.”