The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its National Center for Injury Prevention and Control conducted a research revealing that traffic deaths and injuries cost the entire nation about $99 billion a year. This huge amount is not an acceptable aftermath for preventable plague such as traffic injuries and deaths thus CDC is suggesting for states to take some actions regarding this serious matter.
Researchers used the 2005 hospital, insurance and other pertinent data to tally the cost nationally for the recorded 3.7 million injuries and deaths caused by crashes. Result showed that the entire nation suffers a seriously huge amount from lost productivity and medical bills. This results mirror the effectiveness of the state laws governing traffic rules and regulations.
The actions suggested by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are not highly complicated regulations rather they simply includes permitting police officials to pull drivers over once they are caught driving without wearing seatbelts. Also it was suggested to organize checkpoints to identify people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. States and communities are also asked to consider requiring motorcycle drivers to wear helmets while driving.
The study conducted by the CDC also revealed what particular actions effectively lessen the incidents of road accidents and what not. According to the study crashes causing death and injuries among 15 to 19 year olds cost the nation $11.2 billion. Based on the study’s further investigation efforts regulating when teens can drive and specifying how many passengers’ teens can take with them successfully lowered the fatal crashes by 38 percent and 40 percent for injury crashes involved in by teens. In addition to this the Insurance Institute research revealed that teen crashes are reduced by 10 to 30 percent by graduated driver’s licensing programs.
CDC suggested another way that is seen to be as effective as the above mentioned programs that is rising the driving age. The case of New Jersey can prove its effectiveness. Teen’s crashes rates in New Jersey where the driving age is 17 is significantly lower compared to other states where driving age is 16. This suggestion however is faced with resistance. The helmet laws, seatbelt and red light cameras laws are also politically resisted.
There are programs that can really help reduce the incidents of traffic deaths and injuries however they still are not universal remedy thus the entire nation needs more laws, programs or regulations to satisfactorily address the traffic deaths and injuries problems.
