Vehicle Safety. How Much is in Our Control

2020 and 2021 are the most recent years for which they publish these statistics.  Accidents were the fourth leading cause of death.  The sub-categories are falls, motor vehicle accidents and poisonings.  I was very surprised to see accidents this high on the list.

We talked about falls on a previous post and how dangerous they can be.  Safe driving is not a flashy topic which is why it has been in my que for many months, but I think it is worth talking about (now that I say that, the last few month were on steps and fruits and vegetables – pretty flashy stuff).

In 2021, 42,929 died on US roadways 118 per day. About 2.5 million injuries.  1.4 million people globally per year.

Nhtsa.gov for details (like deaths per mile driven)

The word “accident” started to be used in the 1920s and 30s from workplace injuries where companies didn’t want to take responsibility.  The word accident implies there was no fault.  Nhtsa uses the word crash.

We make a lot of effort to eat natural foods and get some movement so our bodies can feel good and last a long time with less risk to disease, but is being in a motor vehicle accident that can take all or some of that away just a crap shoot?  What is in our control to remove some of that risk?

Practice distraction free driving, but be especially vigilant:

·         In intersections – both 4 way and 3 way.

·         On 2 lane roads without a median.

·         On freeways, especially near exits and on ramps because of speed differential. 

·         When entering a freeway, match the speed of the vehicles on the freeway.

·         Minimize talk time on phone (there is no such thing as multi-tasking)

·         Plan ahead ways to minimize poking around with your radio (use voice controls)

·         Avoid drivers that are driving poorly

2015 nhtsa said crashes resulted from 94% human choice or error, 2% mechanical error, 2% environmental, 2% other.

Just because we can reduce the 94% human error crashes by practicing better driving, doesn’t mean we should ignore the other causes.  The two best vehicle maintenance items you can do for safety are tire pressure and replacement of tires before they are worn out and replacing windshield wipers before they are worn out.  To reduce the risk of crashes caused by environmental factors, slow down when the weather is bad or stay home when it is really bad. 

Mister Miyagi in The Karate Kid said “best block no be there”  Works for driving too.