News and Alerts

Motor Vehicle Crashes

August 26, 2003

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that 488 people will die and 25,400 people may suffer non-fatal injuries in motor vehicle crashes during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. There are four things that you can do to reduce your risk of having an accident.

1. Do not drink and drive.
2. Do not drive distracted (e.g. talking on your cell phone).
3. Do not drive while drowsy
4. Wear your seat belt.

Labor Day weekend is historically a bad weekend for crashes. There has been an increase in drunk driving fatalities in the last three years. Nearly 18,000 people died in crashes involving drunk drivers last year. Nearly 40 percent of all fatal vehicle crashes involve alcohol. Police officers in New York State have issued more than 130,000 tickets for violations of the state's prohibition against drivers talking on handheld cellular telephones, and state officials say motorists are starting to get the message about the danger they pose. However, there are other distractions that drivers must avoid, i.e. eating or drinking, adjusting radio or climate controls, smoking, reading, shaving, putting on make-up, etc. Every year, falling asleep while driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 40,000 injuries, and 1550 fatalities. NSC statistics also indicate that more than 19,000 people who were not wearing seat belts died last year in motor vehicle crashes. About one-half of those people would have survived their crash had they been wearing seat belts.

Do your part... Drive Safe, Drive Smart!

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