Motor Vehicle Crashes Leading Cause of Death in 15- to 19-Year-Olds in Utah
According to the reports made by the Utah Department of Public Safety, automobile injuries is the leading cause of death for all Utah children and adults between the ages of 1-44 years-old. In one year 1,300 people are killed as a result to an automobile accident, 10,400 people are hospitalized due to injury in an automobile accident and 181,100 people are treated in the emergency room due to accidents in automobiles. Statistics also show that in Utah alone, 3.5 people die each and everyday due to automobile accidents.
This yea, one in every 36 teenagers between the ages of 15-19 will be treated at a hospital for injuries they have received in an automobile accident. Dr. George Delavan, the Director of Community and Family Health Services of the Utah Department of Health states that "Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-19 year-olds in Utah and this simply is not acceptable" he also adds "So UDOH, Utah's 12 local health departments and the Task Force are focusing safety efforts on teens. We also need to devote more resources to promising education and media campaigns"
In the report done by the Utah Department of Public Safety, the number one contributor for the deaths of the teen drivers in 2005 was speed. It also shows that crashes where the teen was driving the car with other occupants was five times more likely to be fatal than accidents that have less occupants in them.
The problem seems to be that the teen drivers have not been properly educated in how dangerous driving is and can be. Teenagers who acquire their license need to be told to always wear their seat belts even if their going to the corner store. They also need to be told that driving a car is not the same as driving a race car. The speed limit is there for a reason and they need to abide by it. They also need to be sure that they are told to never drink while driving or be under any kind of drug while behind the wheel. Lives are at stake here, and educating them to save a life is a little sacrifice everyone should take.
The Utah Department of Health has asked that increased enforcement regarding wearing a seat belt be put into effect. They have also suggested the following, those teenagers who are in high school and have the privilege to park in the parking area must maintain a clean driving record, attend a safe driving class, and always wear their seat belts. Increased requirements for drivers who are just beginning, and more time with a licensed driver before they get their hard license. More education for those drivers who are 15-19 years-old. Absolutely ban all cell phone and MP3 usage for youths behind the wheel. Limit the amount of people that can drive with a driver who is 15-19 years-old. And finally have a parent/teen driving contract that will lead to the revocation of their driving privileges if broken.
Too learn more about other ways to keep teens safe while driving, please visit http://www.health.utah.gov/vipp/.
SOURCE : Safety Message Targets Teen Drivers
http://health.utah.gov/uthealthnews/2007/20070913-TeenDrivers.htm
Published by Jeanne Marie Kerns
My passion is writing. Helping those in need get their message out is something I strive for. I love to interview those who do not feel that what they have to say is not being heard. My hand is the extension... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentIt seems like Mike ,Kathy and I all think alike. (Great minds think alike?)
This is not new. Males have always been more likely to die early than girls or women at all ages. It is also not new that males are more likely to die from murder as males often kill but they most often kill other males.
As far males dying in car accidents, one of the most common why is for a male teenage driver with a car load of other males in the car and often the result is a car load of dead males because the driver has to show off and prove he is a "man" because of those things dangling between his legs.
It would help if we would teach the real facts of life to our boys and girls and that is that males are the weaker sex and they do not have to "prove that they have balls" There is nothing wrong with a male admitting that he is the weak sex and that women are superior in many ways. It allows him to forget he has Ball's and be a human and seek help in the many weak areas he has.
Nearly half of all deaths among teens are accidental, and the majority of those deaths are from car accidents, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report also finds male teens are more likely to die from accidental injury than females and the gap between the two genders increases as males get older. Homicide, suicide, cancer, and heart disease are among the other leading causes of death among young people, according to the report.
Why are Teenager Drivers at More Risk? According to Studies: Teenager drivers tend to underestimate hazardous driving situations and are less able than older drivers to recognize dangerous situations. Males are far more likely to do this than are girls.
Male teenager Drivers are more to speed and tailgate.
Having Male teen passengers in the car has been shown to increase the likelihood of high risk driving behaviors among teenage male drivers.
Of Male drivers killed between 15 and 20 years of age
I believe this is correct, for males but I do not think it is for girls.
In fact the risk for males is highest when there are several males in the car thus killing several males in one accident. More males die of almost every cause than do women and girls and this applies even when there are more women. Males simply are the weaker sex since girls and women can survive many things that would kill most males
Scary stats! Good reporting!
Good informative article.