Motor Vehicle Occupant Injury Prevention The States ’ Perspective

Among public health issues, the safety of motor vehicle occupants is probably the issue that touches closest to home. Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation in the United States. Sadly, although a broad collaboration of vehicle safety advocates at the federal, state, and community levels have worked to improve the safety of vehicles and to protect vehicle occupants, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for every age from 1 through 34 years. There is clearly much more to be done to promote vehicle occupant safety and to reduce the numbers of fatalities and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. As early as 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a plea for the governors of each state to become involved in this issue (see inside front cover o