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Monday, February 5, 2018

Motor Vehicle Crashes Are the Second Leading Cause of Unintentional Death in the United States

(Click on the image for the National Safety Council's "The State of Safety")
  • After dropping steadily for decades, we are in the midst  of the deadliest spike in roadway fatalities in 50 years. 
  • An estimated 40,200 people died on our nation’s roads in 2016, making motor vehicle crashes the second leading cause of unintentional death in the United States
  • These deaths are primarily driven by distraction, speed and alcohol, and are entirely preventable.  
  • Making the nation’s roadways safer calls for a variety of approaches that recognize how the vehicle, the driver, passengers and the roadway itself all play a role in safety.
  • Traffic laws, when visibly enforced, are very effective at promoting safe practices, even though driver behaviors overall are difficult to change.
  • A comprehensive road safety approach that integrates laws, enforcement and driver education can shift culture over time so safety becomes  the norm, and safe behaviors become customary