Thanks To Our Government: Safer and More Secure Behind The Wheel

Mike Magee MD

We’ve had our share of worry and fear, gloom and doom in the past year. And a healthy dose of misinformation centered on the debate over whether our government is “good for something” or “good for nothing”. I’m of course in the “something” crowd, not out of nostalgia, or blind optimism, but because the facts support me.

Case in point: automobile safety. Do you know that auto mortalities have dropped nearly 20% in real terms in just the past four years. And it’s not because of fewer miles driven during the recession. The figures I’m about to site measure mortality against 100 million vehicle miles traveled. In 2005, there were 1.46 motor vehicle deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. For this year, the projected number is 1.19. In lives lost, 43,510 died on the roads in 2005 and fewer than 35,000 are projected to die this year.(1)(2)

But does the credit go to our government and its wise policies backed up by enforceable regulations? Absolutely. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has been on the job pushing safety technology from every angle. As history has proven, from the Ford Pinto to safety belt resistance and on up, absent push, progress had been slow to none. (3)(4)

Just 10 years ago, nearly 80% of all vehicles sold had no side air bags. The number of 2009 models not offering side air bags – just 10%. Electronic stability control systems to keep you from skidding off the road? You could find them in just 9% of new vehicles a decade ago. Now? They are in 74% of cars and 100% of sports utility vehicles. In 85% of new vehicles overall, they are a standard feature. And let’s look at the highways themselves, many under new construction due to the stimulus plan. Fewer and fewer highways lack physical barriers and “rumble strips” that wake you up if you begin to wander out of your lane. Finally there’s us. We’ve changed to. With a bit of push from the “Click it or Ticket” campaign, 84% of us buckle up compared to 60% a decade ago.(2)

One outlier – motorcycle drivers who’s deaths have risen nearly 50% since 2005, and who are responsible for 15% of all motor vehicle accidents. Don’t blame the federal government for that. That’s a function of ill informed and irresponsible state legislatures.(5) Which states? The ones who’s cyclists are driving around without helmets. That’s got to stop.

For Health Commentary, I’m Mike Magee

References:

1. NHTSA Regulatory Authority.http://bit.ly/3dNjJA

2. White JB. Why Driving A Car Has Never Been Safer. WSJ. 10/21/09. D3.http://bit.ly/2KBsbS

3. Dowie M. Pinto Madness. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1977/09/pinto-madness

4. Seat Balts: Current Issues.Toni Gantz and Gretchen Henkle October 2002 http://www.preventioninstitute.org/traffic_seatbelt.html

5. Current US Motorcycle and Bicycle Helmet Laws. November, 2009. http://www.iihs.org/laws/HelmetUseCurrent.aspx