Preventing Traffic Injuries

More than 33,000 deaths and 3 million nonfatal injuries occur annually from traffic crashes in the United States. Effective strategies exist to reduce the burden of these injuries, yet too few are adopted by the public. From the standpoint of preventable morbidity and mortality, lifestyle medicine and public health have much to offer traffic injury prevention. Lifestyle medicine has its own resources, skilled practitioners, established counseling protocols, disease prevention practice guidelines, and close connections to the community. These features can assist in reducing traffic-related injuries, but only if there is a recognition that, like diseases, traffic injuries are predictable and preventable.