The U.S. Is a World Leader in Car Crash Deaths

(usnews.com) - Public health experts often cite reduced car crash deaths as one of the most successful examples of how common-sense laws can dramatically reduce injuries and deaths. Through strategies like enforcing seat belt usage and drunken driving laws, the U.S. from 2000 to 2013 reduced its rate of crash deaths by 31 percent. Some who herald such an achievement even use it as an example of how similar approaches could be applied to curb gun violence.

But it turns out the U.S. isn't doing as well as it could be when it comes to crash deaths – or certainly not as well as many of its counterparts. In fact, the U.S. had the worst rate of crash deaths in 2013 per 100,000 people when compared with 19 other high-income countries, according to a Vital Signs report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 32,000 people in the U.S. died in car crashes that year – the latest covered by the report – and an additional 2 million people were injured.

These deaths continue to occur because of alcohol-impaired driving, speeding, and failing to use seat belts, car seats or booster seats. According to the report, about half of drivers or passengers who died in crashes in the U.S. in 2013 were not wearing a seat belt.

Causes of car crash deaths in the U.S.
Erin Sauber-Schatz, a transportation safety team lead with the CDC and an author of the report, said in a call with reporters Wednesday that distracted driving – which includes texting while driving – contributes to about 10 percent of fatal accidents and 18 percent of injury accidents.

To assemble its report, the CDC analyzed data compiled by the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Study authors admitted that it's difficult to quantify all the reasons for differences between countries, noting that the U.S. has a significantly higher population than the countries it was being compared to, as well as a greater dependence on cars. But they partially adjusted for these differences by controlling for population size, miles traveled and number of registered vehicles.

The researchers found that the U.S. had both the most motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people and per 10,000 registered vehicles. Other than the U.S., countries included in the study were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. scored so poorly in part because so many drivers and passengers still do not buckle up. Among countries for which seat belt use data were available, the U.S. ranked 18 out of 20 for front-seat use – at 87 percent – and 13 out of 18 for seat belt use among backseat passengers.

On average, 94 percent of people in the studied high-income countries wore seat belts while in the front seat. France had the highest adherence to front seat belt use, at 99 percent, and Austria had the lowest – just shy of the U.S. – at 86 percent.

Authors of the CDC report noted that countries differ in auto safety enforcement actions. For instance, in some U.S. states, a seat belt is only required if you are sitting in the front of an automobile.

Alcohol use also contributed to the mortality rates, with the U.S. tied for the second-highest percentage of deaths involving alcohol-impaired driving among 19 countries evaluated. (FullText)