Science and Injury Control
The evolution of concepts such as "crashworthiness" and "second collision" grew out of the insights of a few pioneers in the injury control field - physicians with emergency-room and public health experience, independent research engineers, crash investigators, epidemiologists and others. Those insights led to the recognition that motor vehicle collisions could be survived with greatly reduced severity and frequency of injury if the "packaging" of the vehicle occupants was made more protective.
The key to that protection was managing the forces to which occupants were exposed in crashes so that the forces did not exceed tolerable levels. The same principles applied to the highway environment itself; in single-vehicle accidents, occupants fared much better if their vehicles impacted energy-managing rather than unyielding roadside structures, and were not "tripped" into rollovers by curbs, ditches, or drop-offs. Injury reduction began turning its emphasis from driver behavior to vehicle crashworthiness and "forgiving roadsides."
The fruits of scientifically sound approaches to motor vehicle crash injury control have become evident in recent years with the advent of air bags, improved seat belts, and other vehicle design improvements. But there is still much to be done; injuries in motor vehicle crashes remain at epidemic levels and in recent years have failed to show a reduction trend. These crashes are still the leading cause of death and permanent impairment to children and young adults, and a major drain on the nation's medical and long-term care resources. An important public-health challenge remains. For the challenge to be met, the law - regulation, legislation and litigation - must act to promote implementation of additional improvements in vehicles and the highway environment so as to achieve needed injury-control progress.
