Transportation Safety Forum Held in Texas Medical Center

In September 1899, Henry H. Bliss became the first person killed in an automobile crash when he stepped off a street corner in New York and was struck by a horseless carriage. Since that time, more than 3 million people have been killed in motor vehicle crashes on the streets and highways of the United States, and many times that number have been seriously injured. A hundred years after Bliss’s death, much still remains to be done to reduce transportation-related deaths and injuries in this country.

More than 100 engineering, public health, social sciences and law enforcement professionals joined forces at a meeting held recently in the Texas Medical Center to discuss ways to reduce transportation deaths and injuries in the United States. The third annual Forum on Public Health and Transportation Safety was organized by the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas Transportation Institute in College Station.

"This forum provided an opportunity for professionals with diverse backgrounds and experience to learn more about transportation-related deaths and injuries and to consider how they might better contribute to addressing this major health problem," said Dr. Lindsay Griffin III, director of the Center for Transportation Safety.

The forum included presentations and panel discussions on topics including transportation safety in the community, enhancing traffic law enforcement, emergency medical services, young and older drivers, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and construction work zones.

The keynote address was presented by David Sleet, associate director for science, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jeffrey Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation and Dr. Richard Wainerdi, president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center, also gave presentations.

"Increasing seat belt use is the most effective way to reduce injuries and save lives of drivers and passengers," Dr. Runge said. "Every day, 155 people are killed in motor vehicle crashes. Nearly half of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2000 were not wearing seat belts or secured in child safety seats."

Dr. Runge explained that traffic enforcement is key to gaining people’s attention in this national priority to buckle up. He noted that South Carolina’s Click it or Ticket campaign increased seat belt use by 8.7 percent. This Memorial Day holiday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration will conduct a 12-state demonstration of the campaign to evaluate its effectiveness with a larger audience. Texas is among the participants.

The forum was sponsored by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, American Road and Transportation Builders Association, Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, National Safety Council, One DOT, Texas Department of Health, Texas Medical Center, Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission, Texas Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Center at the University of California, Texas Transportation Institute, Transportation Research Board, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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