CDC Pushes for Tougher Traffic Laws

Posted & filed under Auto Safety, DUI, insurance news.

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the nation’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is pushing for tougher traffic laws across the country, in order to help prevent the vehicle related deaths and injuries that are currently costing the United States roughly $99 billion a year in medical bills and lost productivity.

According to a recent study by the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the total check for the use of hospitals, insurance, and other such accident-related fees comes to about $500 for each licensed driver in the United States, though this number is based on data from 2005, when 3.7 million injuries and deaths from car crashes occurred.

Rebecca Nauman, a CDC epidemiologist and lead researcher on the study says her organization hopes this information will persuade states to take action to prevent traffic crashes. She said even simple things like enforced seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws and DUI checkpoints would be helpful in this regard.

“We wanted to provide another perspective and way of looking at the burden these crashes place on society,” Naumann said. “We do know that there are proven strategies for preventing them.”

The CDC study did not break down costs by state.