Study ranks Texas as average in auto safety efforts

WASHINGTON -- Texas ranks as average among states for highway and car safety, according to a study released Thursday.

The study, conducted by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, focuses on 16 laws meant to curb the rise in U.S. traffic deaths. It separated the regulations into five categories: seat belts, child restraints, teen driving, drunken driving and motorcycle laws.

The group found that Texas has enacted nine of the laws. The state lacks a booster seat law, an all-rider motorcycle helmet law, two provisions of a graduated driver's license program (30 to 50 hours of supervised driving and a nighttime restriction), sobriety checkpoint guidelines, a high blood-alcohol concentration statute and a mandatory blood-alcohol test for drivers involved in fatal crashes. Twenty-three states rank equal to or lower than Texas.

The report showed that automobile crashes killed 3,724 people in Texas in 2002 and cost the state $19.76 billion in 2000, the most recent economic figure available.

Nationwide, more than 6 million auto crashes resulted in 42,815 deaths and more than 3 million injuries in 2002, the highest total in a decade.

Those crashes cost the nation more than $230 billion annually in property and productivity loss, medical and emergency bills and other related costs -- an average of $820 each year for each American.

The group, known as Advocates, is made up of insurance companies and consumer, health, safety and law enforcement organizations. It outlined each state's progress in its 80-page report, basing its evaluation on whether the states have certain laws, not on enforcement, education or the number of traffic fatalities.

Advocates' study found that 30 states do not enforce primary seat-belt laws, 31 states do not require motorcycle riders to wear helmets and 28 states need booster-seat laws to protect children age 4 to 7. Sixteen states should fix gaps in child restraint laws, Advocates says, covering every child up to age 16 in every seating position.

"If safety is our number one priority, our nation must pay close attention to the deaths of 42,000 Americans, the costs of these deaths, and the solutions," said Jeffrey Runge of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Given the likely increase in miles traveled, a failure to improve the fatality rate will result in 50,000 Americans killed annually by 2008."

More than half of those killed in 2002 were not wearing seat belts. The safety administration credits seat belts with preventing 11,900 fatalities and 325,000 serious injuries annually.

Drunken driving deaths, motorcycle deaths and the number of teen drivers killed in crashes increased. Alcohol factored into 41 percent of all fatal crashes in 2002, and car crashes remain the top killer of teens.

Motor vehicle crashes also remain the leading cause of death and disability for Americans age 2 to 33.

Advocates hopes to reduce crashes in number and severity by persuading governors and state legislators to enact its 16 essential laws. The group has pushed a comprehensive highway safety agenda, encouraging the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs since 1989.

In the group's study, California ranked first, missing only two of the key laws.

Advocates' other highly ranked states include Georgia, Maine, Nevada, North Carolina and Washington, each with 13 laws. Among the worst were Alaska and Wyoming with four laws apiece, and Mississippi and West Virginia with six each.

Nationwide, more than 6 million auto crashes resulted in 42,815 deaths and more than 3 million injuries in 2002, the highest total in a decade.

These are 2002 figures, and the numbers probably rose last year. This equals over 117 people killed each day. The media is reminding us daily about the number of soldiers killed in Iraq. Today, I heard that the "number of US troops killed in Iraq ia approaching 500" on the news. We are nine days into 2004. At 117 average people killed each day, 1053 people have been killed on the nation's roads.

Where is this reported? Where is the outrage from the media and the nine dwarves?

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"If safety is our number one priority, our nation must pay...."

Well, government man; our number one priority is freedom, and whether to use a choke collar on your leash.

I'll never forget watching the local evening news in Corpus Christi in 1969. Close-ups of terrible car accidents, eyeballs and teeth and pieces of heads and limbs all over the road. Made a compelling reason not to drink and drive.

The report showed that automobile crashes killed 3,724 people in Texas in 2002 and cost the state $19.76 billion in 2000, the most recent economic figure available.

And in spite of this the interstate highway system in Texas continues to be Texas' own Indianapolis 500 Speedway(when compared to the facts of deaths, injuries and property damage)with little or no abatement to the increase of the same provided by the traffic law enforcement folks who are commissioned to do this very thing by law and not by an emotional public outcry(which is mostly ignored anyway)!

It seems the Texas Dept.of Public is not subject to public opinion regardless of the validity of it's(the public) claims.

What's the difference between a "good ole boy" and a "redneck?"

The redneck throws his Lone Star beer bottle at road signs and a "good ole boy" throws his in the back of his truck.

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