In 2009 alone, the U.S. census found that there were 10.8 million motor vehicle collisions and 33,800 deaths caused by motor vehicle collisions. That makes vehicle accidents the leading cause of injury death among children and the sixth leading preventable cause of death in the United States. There are many ways in which policies can reduce the risk of motor vehicle injuries and deaths including requiring adequate seat restraints and helmets as well as limiting distracting driving. The Network has produced a variety of resources on the topic.
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. One often-overlooked issue in crash prevention is tire maintenance. A 2012 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 12 percent of crashes among inexperienced drivers were tire-related, while only 5 percent of crashes among experienced drivers were tire-related, suggesting that inexperienced drivers may lack knowledge about safe vehicle maintenance. Efforts to standardize and promote driver education across the country may be one way to address this issue.
This resource examines the legal approaches currently used to reduce elder driver related accidents across the U.S., including some of the unintended consequences of state intervention, and sumarizes elder driver laws in each state.
These state fact sheets provide an overview of motorcycle safety efforts in each of Eastern Region states, and offer legal options for states to address motorcycle safety.
This comprehensive table lists laws regarding motorcycle helmets in all 50 states and Washington D.C. The table includes which states have specific motorcycle helmet laws, the specification of these laws and the potential punishment for not following the law.
States are receiving greater pushback against universal motorcycle helmet laws, which require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, despite evidence that suggests that universal helmet laws are a proven way to save lives and money. In response to the pushback, an new approach to motorcycle helmet laws was developed to allow motorcyclists to pay a higher registration fee if they wish to ride helmet-free.
These resources look at the current laws aimed at reducing teen driver accidents and fatalities in 11 Eastern Region states and Washington D.C., and offer legal solutions to help further reduce teen driving accidents.
Traffic crashes, particularly those involving an alcohol-impaired driver, are a significant impediment to good health.
Drinking alcohol or using illicit drugs while driving are prohibited because of clear public safety implications. Why should drivers be allowed to use cellular devices if they pose similar risks? Many state and local law and policy-makers suggest they should not, but current laws are minimally enforced. How do laws need to shift in response to changing technology?
Graduated Driver Licening programs have the potential to lower crash rates for younger drivers. This webinar examines the implemention of New Jersey's requirement for novice drivers to display identifiers. View the playback.