Aging Begins at 30

Survive An Automobile Crash If You Can

Seat belt use reduces the risk of death in motor vehicle crashes by 43% and of serious injury by 48%. It is the single most effective method for preventing injuries from automobile crashes. In Iowa, the savings for one year by seat belt use was $69 million. Safety belts have been required in cars marketed in the United States since 1966 and their use in Iowa was enacted in 1986.

In Iowa, hospital costs were nearly four times higher for non-belted occupants than belted occupants. Two percent of non-belted occupants were permanently disabled compared to 0.2% in the belted ones. An additional two percent (versus zero percent) died in the hospital. An analysis of the non-belted showed an average age of 28 compared with 35 for belted users. Unbelted drivers were more likely to be male and to have consumed alcohol. Since the enactment of seat belt laws, national use of seat belts has increased to 62%, but the aim is to increase use of belts, bags or child safety seats to 85% by the year 2000.

A study of the Navajo Reservation showed that injuries account for 22% of all deaths and motor vehicle-related injuries are five-fold greater than for the total U.S. population. Seat belt use was very low (14%). By enacting a law and the use of education, seat belt use was increased to 62% and motor vehicle-related injury hospitalization rates decreased nearly 30%. About 15 to 20 of the 510 American Indian tribes have implemented safety belt use laws on federal reservations with much saving of lives.

Motor vehicle crashes account for 45,000 deaths, 5.4 million non-fatal injuries, and 28 million damaged vehicles to a total cost of $138 billion in the United States. Work place losses (29%), medical (10%), and household productivity (8% )are some of the major costs. The greatest unit cost was associated with fatalities, approximately $702,000 per death; non-fatal injuries cost averaged $90,00 each. Crashes involving any alcohol cost $46 billion (33% of all economic costs) and of this, 38 billion was caused by truly drunk drivers. About five million persons (22%) did not file a police report. This enormous cost represents almost 3% of the gross domestic product of the United States. Nearly 30% of first year medical costs of automobile accident victims fell on federal and state tax payers, namely you and me.

There is much talk of preventive medicine and some dissatisfaction at the perception that little is being done. Much of preventive medicine is behavioral to be done by the individual and not by the physician. Seat belts are a good example. Buckle up and live.

Section Top | Title Page

See related Patient Topics Motor Vehicle Safety or Safety.

See related Provider Topics or Safety.

All contents copyright © 1992-2004 the Author(s) and The University of Iowa. All rights reserved.

http://www.vh.org/adult/patient/internalmedicine/aba30/1995/seatbelt.html