A new study just out indicates that injuries that result from some form of accident are the leading cause of fatalities in those between the ages of 1-44 and ranks third highest among all causes of fatalities. The study conducted by the John Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy along with other entities also concludes that millions of injuries could be prevented annually if individual states adopted ten basic safety laws or policies. While no state has adopted all of the recommendations, California and New York have already adopted nine of the policies recommended by the study far outpacing much of the rest of the country.
Data from the study reveals that fifty million people seek medical treatment for injuries each year. Despite the high number of injuries from car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents and other types of accidents, less than fifty percent of U.S. states have adopted even half of the ten recommendations in the study. Some of the key recommendations along with the number of states that have adopted the safety measure are provided below:
Mandatory Ignition Interlock Devices: The CDC reports that drunk drivers claim the lives of thirty people per day in drunk driving car accidents. Despite the fact ignition interlock devices are far more effective at curtailing repeat offenses by drunk drivers than driver license suspensions, only 16 states make installation of an ignition interlock device mandatory for those convicted of DUI.
Motorcycle and Bicycle Helmets: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motorcycle helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing traumatic brain injuries in motorcycle accidents. The NHTSA also has found that motorcycle riders not wearing a helmet are three times more likely to suffer a fatal head injury in a motorcycle accident than motorcyclists wearing a helmet. Despite this data, a number of states have amended their universal motorcycle helmet laws in recent years so that certain riders are excluded from the requirement. Currently, there are only 19 states that require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets and only 21 states that require children to use helmets when riding bicycles.
Primary Seat Belt Law: There are 18 states that do not have primary seat belt laws. A primary seat belt law may provide the sole basis for a law enforcement officer to pull over a vehicle occupant. In states that have only secondary seat belt laws, a police officer many not take steps to enforce seat belt use by stopping a motorist unless the stop is based on some other violation, such as speeding or running a stop sign. It is estimated that seat belt use saved almost 70,000 lives of those involved in car accidents during a four-year period ending in 2010.
Car Seats and Booster Seats: Another study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that use of a booster seat by children reduced their injury risk by half when compared to children in just a seat belt. The safety benefits in side impact collisions were even more pronounced with a 68 percent reduction in near side impact crashes and an 82 percent reduction in injuries in far side impact collisions. The study included a high number of children age 6-8 confirming the benefits of continuing to use a booster seat through the age of 8. The John Hopkins study found that seventeen states do not require the use of booster seats until the age of 8.
The authors of the John Hopkins study indicate that the lag in safety measures to protect accident injury, particularly in motor vehicle accidents, is partially a result of funding limitations. The report points out that 19 states lack a full-time injury prevention director. Federal funding for accident related injury prevention has also declined by almost 25 percent over a recent five-year period. While California has been a leader in injury prevention, measures like those outlined above are only effective if vehicle occupants adhere to the safety laws and standards.
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If you are involved in a San Francisco auto accident, you may suffer catastrophic life-changing injuries. If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco car accident, you should contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation with an experienced San Francisco car accident lawyer. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.