ScienceNews reports on a report from the CDC (informative graph):
U.S. drivers love to hit the road. The problem is doing so safely.
In 2013, 32,894 people in the United States died in motor vehicle crashes. Although down since 2000, the overall death rate - 10.3 per 100,000 people - tops 19 other high-income countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported July 8. Belgium is a distant second with 6.5 deaths per 100,000. Researchers reviewed World Health Organization and other data on vehicle crash deaths, seat belt use and alcohol-impaired driving in 2000 and 2013.
Canada had the highest percentage of fatal crashes caused by drunk drivers: 33.6 percent. New Zealand and the United States tied for second at 31 percent. But Canada and 16 other countries outperformed the United States on seat belt use - even though, in 2013, 87 percent of people in the United States reported wearing safety belts while riding in the front seat.
Spain saw the biggest drop - 75 percent - in its crash death rate. That country improved nearly all aspects of road safety, including decreasing alcohol-impaired driving and increasing seat belt use, the researchers say.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @12:56AM
The comment about driving fast in Germany made me think of the autobahns and that made me think of the Nazis. Too tenuous?
The biggest pressure group that frets about driving is MADD. They have made "drunk" equal to "bad" and now they're trying to do the same for "tipsy" or "buzzed."
Cops don't enforce turn signals enough but they're pretty thorough when it comes to burned out tail lights.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @01:52AM
The comment about driving fast in Germany made me think of the autobahns and that made me think of the Nazis. Too tenuous?
Way too tenuous. Sorry. A lot of things come to mind about Germany, and that sad period in its history doesn't really influence my views of Germany. Is there something I don't know about autobahns?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @04:14AM
Eh, just that a lot of the construction of them happened when the Nazis were in power. Was trying for a laugh, it may be too soon.