Citation

Robertson LS. J. Public Health Policy 2018; 39(2): 193-202.

Affiliation

Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, 3551 S Via de la Grulla, Green Valley, AZ, 85622, USA. nanlee252000@yahoo.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

10.1057/s41271-018-0123-2

PMID

29531304

Abstract

This study estimates road deaths prevented by U.S. vehicle safety regulations, state laws, and other efforts based on comparison of actual deaths to those predicted from temperature and precipitation effects on exposure, migration to warmer areas, population growth, median age of the population, and vehicle mix. Logistic regression of risk factors predictive of road deaths in 1961, prior to the adoption of federal vehicle safety regulations, state behavioral change laws, and other preventive efforts were used to predict deaths in subsequent years given the changing prevalence of the risk factors from 1962 to 2015. The included risk factors are strong predictors of road death risk. Without the preventive efforts, an additional 5.8 million road deaths would likely have occurred in the U.S. from the initiation of federal safety standards for new vehicles in 1968 through 2015.

Language: en

Keywords

Alcohol laws; Emergency medical response; Road death trend; Seat belt laws; Temperature; Vehicle safety regulations