Report: States Behind on Traffic Safety Laws

Report Read time:
Report: States Behind on Traffic Safety Laws

Nearly half of the states don't do enough to reduce auto accidents that killed 37,261 Americans last year, such as stepping up seat belt enforcement or banning text-messaging while driving, according to a new report (PDF) by Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety.

The nonprofit group released the 2010 Roadmap to State HighwaySafety Laws  as many state legislative sessions get under way to help states avoid the thousands of “largely preventable” roadway deaths each year that are a “never-ending, American tragedy,” Judith Lee Stone, the group's president, said at a Washington news conference Monday. This is the seventh annual report that grades all 50 states and Washington D.C., on their traffic safety laws.

In a year when many states continue to face deep budget deficits, advocates say stronger laws could actually save money. In 2008, the nearly six million car accidents in the country cost an estimated $230 billion “in property and productivity losses, medical and emergency bills and other related costs,” according to the report.

Read the full report States Behind on Traffic Safety Laws on Stateline.org.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.