Injuries pose a significant drain on the health care system, incurring huge treatment, acute care, and rehabilitation costs. Traffic injuries are the leading cause of all deaths for people ages 6 to 27. However, far more people are injured and survive motor vehicle crashes than die in these crashes. In 1997, for example, while 42,065 people were killed in traffic crashes, more than 3.5 million people were injured in documented police-reported crashes. Non-fatal injuries cost society far more in health care expenses and rehabilitation than fatalities.
Traffic crashes aren t accidents.
They are both predictable and preventable. The best ways to prevent traffic injuries and fatalities are not to combine alcohol with driving and to always buckle up.