Motor Vehicle Safety

887 Words2 Pages

Motor Vehicle Safety
Motor accidents are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the United States. In the year 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that around 41,000 people were killed in traffic accidents within the United States. This mortality rate has since dropped 25% from 2000 to 2009 (Rockett et al., 2012). There are many reasons for motor vehicle injuries, ranging from lack of seat belt use, elderly drivers, alcohol and young children being improperly secured. All of these things factor into motor injuries differently and must be addressed as a separate problem. Highway safety is an important issue in public health and many things have already been implemented to help reduce accidents and injuries. Actions like mandatory seat use, shatter resistant windshields, speed limits, and child restraints.
One of the most avoidable and tragic causes of highway accidents are alcohol related. Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol greatly increases the risk of an accident. The first studies relating alcohol to motor vehicle crashes were reported in 1938. It was found that of those who were injured were 12.5 times more likely to have been drinking alcohol (Waller, 2002). Not long after this study, blood alcohol content (BAC) was also found to have a correlation with accidents and injuries. According to the study at a BAC of .08% risk of a crash is four times more likely. This increases up to a BAC of .15% making the intoxicated driver 25 times more likely to crash. Many measures have been taken since these early years to prevent DUIs. Beginning in 1969, Alcohol Safety Action Programs (ASAP) were introduced to fight against drunk driving. The programs include “enforcement, judi...

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Rockett I., Regier, M., Kapusta, N., Coben J., Miller, T., Hanzlick, R., Todd, K., Sattin, R., Kennedy, L., Kleinig, J., & Smith, G. (2012). Leading Causes of Unintentional and Intentional Injury Mortality: United States, 2000–2009. American Journal of Public Health, 102(11), 84-92. Retrieved from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300960
Waller, P. (2002). Challenges in Motor Vehicle Safety. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/eds/detail?sid=737d4dcd-9ead-47b8-af26-
Wilson F. & Stimpson, J. (2010). Trends in Fatalities from Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008. American Journal of Public Health, 100(11), 2213-2219. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=08f66e54-28dc-491d-9333-8c64fbefa207%40sessionmgr113&hid=109

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