Motor Vehicle Injury
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Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!
View the Current Did You Know?
September 29, 2017
- Motor vehicle deaths are 3 to 10 times higher in rural America, depending on the region.
- Sixty-one percent of people who died in fatal crashes in the most rural counties in America were not wearing their seat belts.
- States and communities can use evidence-based interventions to reduce rural-urban disparities in seat belt use and death rates among adult drivers and passengers.
August 11, 2017
- The number of motor vehicle crashes involving 17- and 18-year old drivers increased in 2014 and 2015, and crashes remained the leading cause of death for US teens.
- Eight danger zones—like driver inexperience and nighttime driving—contribute to teen crashes.
- The strategies in CDC’s Graduated Driver Licensing System Planning Guide can help states evaluate and improve their programs addressing these leading causes of teen driver crashes.
January 27, 2017
- CDC’s newly released Winnable Battles final report shows meaningful improvements in key public health areas.
- Since 2009, rates of teen births and youth and adult smoking have declined significantly, and between 2008 and 2014, central line-associated bloodstream infections in acute care hospitals decreased by 50%.
- A color-coded dashboard shows where more work is needed, especially in obesity, foodborne illness, and motor vehicle injuries.
July 8, 2016
- About 90 people die each day from motor vehicle crashes on US roads, according to the latest CDC Vital Signs.
- The US crash death rate is more than twice the average of 19 other high-income countries.
- States can implement proven policies and strategies to prevent thousands of crash-related injuries and deaths.
May 20, 2016
- Compared with seat belt use alone, booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% among motor vehicle passengers aged 4–8 years.
- Only two states—Tennessee and Wyoming—require child passengers to ride in appropriate car or booster seats through age 8.
- The latest Prevention Status Reports has ratings for your state on child passenger safety, additional motor vehicle injury prevention policies, and other important public health concerns.
January 15, 2016
- Motor vehicle crash deaths cost the nation $44 billion in medical expenses and lost work in a single year.
- CDC’s updated fact sheets break down these costs by state and describe proven strategies to reduce crash-related injuries and deaths.
- A free, interactive state cost calculator—MV PICCS, 2.0—can help states select from 14 effective interventions to prevent motor vehicle injuries.
August 21, 2015
- Rear-seat motor vehicle passengers are less likely than front-seat passengers to wear a seat belt, making them more likely to injure themselves and other passengers in a crash.
- Rear seat belt use is higher in states [PDF-172KB] with primary or secondary enforcement laws that cover rear seats than in states without laws that cover rear seats.
- To increase seat belt use in rear passengers, states can review proven strategies and find ones that work best for their state.
April 17, 2015
- Rates of teen births [PDF-387KB] and motor vehicle crash deaths [PDF-238KB] continue to fall, according to a new CDC Winnable Battles progress report.
- Use of innovative tools such as the Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States is boosting progress, but one-third of the Winnable Battles targets are trending in the wrong direction.
- Public health practitioners can help make our nation healthier by using the evidence-based strategies and programs highlighted in the CDC Winnable Battles Progress Report 2014 [PDF-1.4MB].
March 6, 2015
- Motor vehicle crashes caused 65% of on-the-job deaths of truck drivers in 2012; more than a third of the drivers were not buckled up [PDF-3.2MB], according to the latest CDC Vital Signs.
- One in 3 truck drivers will have a serious crash during their career, and 1 in 8 will have 2 or more.
- Employers can prevent crashes through strong safety programs, including requirements to buckle up.
February 13, 2015
- Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury and death—find out what your state is doing to prevent drunk driving and increase use of restraints.
- The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes is more than $59 billion; learn about strategies that work to make our roads safer from drunk drivers.
- CDC’s Prevention Status Reports highlight the status of 4 key policies and practices that all 50 states and DC can use to reduce motor vehicle injuries and deaths.
October 10, 2014
- According to this month’s Vital Signs, Americans spend more than 1 million days in the hospital each year from motor vehicle crash injuries.
- Crash injuries that happened in 2012 cost an estimated $18 billion in lifetime medical expenses and another $33 billion in lifetime work lost.
- No states have fully implemented all of the key interventions proven to keep people safe on the road. CDC’s new tool, Motor Vehicle PICCS, can help inform state decision making.
February 14, 2014
- Nearly a quarter of sodium in the American diet comes from restaurant foods, so choose wisely to reduce sodium from menu to mouth [PDF-320KB].
- About 9 in 10 Americans consume too much sodium [PDF-1.7MB], and too much sodium increases risk for high blood pressure.
- State and local health departments can work with restaurants to help reduce the amount of sodium in food and keep people healthier.
February 7, 2014
- Motor vehicle crashes killed more than 9,000 children aged 12 years and under over the past decade.
- Almost half of all black (45%) and Hispanic (46%) children killed in crashes during 2009-2010 were not buckled up, compared with 26% of white children.
- States can help reduce child motor vehicle injuries and deaths by using recommended strategies to increase car seat, booster seat, and seat belt use.
November 22, 2013
- CDC’s Winnable Battles Progress Report, 2010–2015 [PDF-785KB] describes the progress being made in addressing these critical public health challenges.
- CDC and partners are on track to decrease teen birth rates by 20% [PDF-420KB], reduce motor vehicle crash fatalities by 31% [PDF-453KB], and reduce certain healthcare-associated infections in hospitals by 60% [PDF-178KB] by the 2015 target date.
- Identifying and focusing on Winnable Battles has helped promote progress. CDC will continue to work closely with partners at the national, state, and local levels to achieve Winnable Battle targets.
October 5, 2012
- The percentage of teens in high school who reported they drink and drive has decreased by more than half since 1991.
- Still, one in ten high school teens drinks and drives—that was nearly one million teens in 2011.
- Effective interventions to reduce teen drinking and driving include enforcement of minimum legal drinking age laws, zero tolerance laws, and graduated driver licensing systems.
June 15, 2012
- Injuries and deaths due to motorcycle crashes cost $12 billion in medical care and productivity losses in 2008.
- Cost savings in states with universal motorcycle helmet laws were nearly four times greater per year per registered motorcycle than in states without them.
- CDC’s Motorcycle Safety Guide and state-based fact sheets show how universal helmet laws can increase helmet use, and save money and lives.
October 7, 2011
- Adults reported drinking and driving about 112 million times in 2010.
- Alcohol-impaired drivers are involved in about 1 in 3 crash deaths, resulting in nearly 11,000 deaths in 2009.
- CDC recommends many to prevent drinking and driving.
July 22, 2011
- An estimated 15 people die and 1,200 are injured each day in the United States in crashes that involve distracted driving.
- Nearly 40% of U.S. drivers ages 18 to 29 report talking on their cell phone “regularly” or “fairly often” while driving, and more than 25% report texting or e-mailing.
- Motor vehicle crash-related deaths and injuries can be prevented. .
June 17, 2011
- Motor vehicle crash deaths resulted in $41 billion in medical and work loss costs in the United States in 2005.
- Newly released fact sheets provide information on state costs and recommendations for saving lives and money.
- Motorcycle-related deaths reached an all-time high in 2008; a universal motorcycle helmet law is the only evidence-based safety measure that reaches all riders in a state, costs little to initiate, and saves lives and money.
January 7, 2011
- OSTLTS hosted its monthly Vital Signs town hall meeting on January 11, 2011 to share what others have done and are doing to improve seat belt laws.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the first three decades of Americans’ lives.
- The Guide to Community Preventive Services has evidence-based recommendations for increasing the use of safety belts through legislation.
Did You Know? information and web links are current as of their publication date. They may become outdated over time.
- Page last reviewed: November 9, 2015
- Page last updated: September 29, 2017
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