Community-Based
Interventions to Reduce Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries:
Evidence
of Effectiveness from Systematic Reviews
Motor vehicle-related injuries kill more children and young adults
than any other single cause in the United States.
 More
than 41,000 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes
each year, and crash injuries result in about 500,000 hospitalizations
and four million emergency department visits annually. The economic
burden of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries is also enormous,
costing the United States more than $150 billion each year.
|
Strength
of Evidence Scale |
 Recommended
(strong
evidence)
Recommended
(sufficient evidence)
 Insufficient
Evidence to Recommend Effectiveness
|
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM)
recently released a special supplement containing systematic reviews and
recommendations regarding of 13
community-based interventions to reduce motor vehicle-related injuries
and deaths. The Guide to Community Preventive Services. Reducing
Injuries to Motor Vehicle Occupants: Systematic Reviews of Evidence,
Recommendations from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services,
and Expert Commentary highlights results from systematic reviews
of scientific literature on interventions to decrease alcohol-impaired
driving, increase the use of child safety seats, and increase use of
safety belts. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an
independent, nonfederal panel of community health experts, issued their
recommendations, based on demonstrated evidence of effectiveness
from the reviews coordinated by CDC.
An overview
of the interventions and descriptions
of the strongly recommended and recommended interventions
are available on the Community
Guide web site.
This AJPM issue is the third in a series of supplements on
the effectiveness of public health interventions. In 2002, these will
be compiled into the Guide to Community Preventive Services, a
resource for policymakers and public health practitioners. The
findings can be used to support or expand local motor vehicle injury
prevention programs and to promote the adoption, maintenance, or
strengthening of state or national traffic safety laws. To learn more
about the Guide to Community Preventive Services, go to www.thecommunityguide.org.
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