Tag Archives: motor vehicle collision

Straight, No Chaser: Motor Vehicle Crashes – Risky Behaviors, Injuries and Prevention

July 9, 2017Trauma844-SMA-TALK, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle crashes, MVA, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, There are 72 Hours in a Day, TraumaJeffrey Sterling, MD

‘Tis not our task to preach but to inform. Maybe you think you’ve heard it all before, but let me lay it all out for you so you can truly be an informed consumer. Forewarned is forearmed. There’s a reason you hear so much about drinking or texting and driving, wearing seat belts/helmets and speeding. If there was such a thing as Human Shark Week, the biggest and baddest predator in the trauma world would be motor vehicle crashes.
Motor vehicle collisions are the single leading cause of death among those between ages 5-34 in the US. More than 2.4 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in ERs as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2015 (an average of 6,693 persons included per day). Traffic fatalities increased by 7 percent from 2014 to 2015 (up to 35,092) in the United States; that’s 96 deaths per day. Let’s lay this out simply and review the risks, the consequences and preventative efforts you should be taking.
Risky Behavior:

Danger is enhanced by various distractions and inadequate protection. The mistake people make is not understanding that much of the danger is outside of your control – other drivers. If you’re impaired or distracted, you can’t respond effectively. I’ve seen it all.

Drinking while driving – Stop it with the “I can handle my liquor” nonsense. Someone dies every hour from drinking while driving. It’s not just drunk driving, it’s impaired driving. Your senses are altered and ability to respond diminished at any level of alcohol consumption and is incrementally more so with more consumption.
Texting while driving
Eating while driving
Reading while driving
Doing your hair/shaving/makeup while driving
Kissing and other sexual activities while driving
Motorcycle driving/riding without a helmet
Letting your children drive without a license and/or formal training: it’s all too true. Teens are most at risk for accidents and being impaired/distracted/drunk while driving.
Letting your children ride in the front of the car
Not wearing seat belts (the biggest mistake of them all)

Injuries:

I’ve seen nearly every conceivable injury from motor vehicle collisions. It doesn’t take as much effort as you’d think to have a very bad life after a crash. Consider the following possible going head to toe (and yes, the list is abbreviated)…

Traumatic Brain Injury, including intracranial bleeds, strokes, seizures, concussions, herniation and death…
Neck Injury, including fractures, strains, pinched nerves, temporary and permanent loss of motion/sensation in your extremities…
Chest wall bruising, heart and lung bruising, collapsed lungs, stab wounds to the heart and lungs, ruptured heart vessels…
Abdominal injuries, including contusions to and rupture of the liver, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and intestines…
Genital, urinary and pelvic injuries, including the kidneys and multiple fractures…
Nervous, psychologic and musculoskeletal system injuries, including contusions, life-threatening fractures and dislocations, paralysis, facial disfigurement and other scarring, post-traumatic stress syndrome and long term pain syndromes.

Prevention:

Seat belt use reduces serious injuries and deaths in crashes by 50%. Air bags provide added protection but are not a substitute for seat belts in a crash.
Wear a seat belt every time, every trip.
Seat all kids under 12 in the back seat.
Seat backseat passengers in the middle (it’s the safest spot in the car)
Regarding any function on a smartphone, if you can’t be hands free, it can wait. If you must use your hands, pull over.
Remember designated drivers? Yes, that’s still a thing.
If you’re on a motorcycle, wear a helmet, every time, every trip.
Protect your teen. No license, no vehicle. Consider driving school.

Impaired and distracted driving will cause you harm; it’s not an “if it’ll happen” situation, it’s “when it happens.” Please consider the points I’ve mentioned and the lives of passengers/other drivers when deciding how you handle your vehicle. Good luck on the road.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Public Health Has Saved More Lives Than Medical Care

April 5, 2017General Health and Wellness, Public Health844-SMA-TALK, asbestosis, Behind the Curtain, black lung disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, coronary heart disease, diphtheria, family planning, goiters, homophiles, immunizations, infant mortality, Influenza, measles, motor vehicle collision, pellagra, polio, rickets, rubella, Sexually transmitted disease, silicosis, smallpox, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, tetanus, vaccinationsJeffrey Sterling, MD

When I tell most people I have a degree in public health, the typical response involves an assumption that public health involves caring exclusively for the indigent. I guess if you watched the news you could get that impression as well. Public health is the discipline dedicated to optimizing care for populations. Over the course of my career, I’ve cared for a lot of patients as a physicians, and I’ve actually saved a few lives. However, the work I’ve done as a public health professional has affected millions. The opportunity to work in public health is extremely gratifying.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the field of public health has been responsible for adding 25 years to the life expectancy of U.S. citizens over the 20^th century. In this post I’d like to review the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the 20^th Century.” Hopefully, this will cause you to reflect on how these discoveries, innovations and habit promotion affect your life and provide you opportunities to live a healthier life. These are being presented in no particular order.

Control of infectious diseases: The combination of hand washing, improved sanitation and appropriate use of antibiotics has saved untold millions. Examples of once prominent diseases being much better controlled include cholera, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted infections.
Decrease in deaths from heart disease and stroke: The combination of risk modification, symptoms recognition and early treatment has contributed to a reduction in death rates by over 50% in the last four decades.
Family planning and contraceptive services: Innovations include barrier contraception to prevent pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other STDs, pre-pregnancy screening and counseling, promotion of smaller family size, longer intervals between children and the development of prenatal assessment.
Food safety and healthier food production: Food safety has involved reduction in contaminated food sources, better portion control, improvement of nutrition and appropriate components of meals. Fortification of foods has nearly eliminated once prominent diseases such as rickets, goiters and pellagra.
Fluoridation of drinking water: Multiple benefits exists including better infectious control and prevention of tooth decay. It’s estimated to have reduced tooth decay and loss by 40-70% since its inception in the 1940s.
Healthy mothers and babies: It is astounding that infant mortality rates dropped 90% and maternal mortality rates dropped 99% during the last century. The combination of better prenatal care, technological advances and better hygiene and nutrition all have played an important role.
Motor vehicle safety: Seat belts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, speed limits, air bags, safer highways and reduction in drinking and driving have all led to substantial reductions in deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard: Today there are more former smokers than current smokers and untold million of lives have been saved since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on the health risks of smoking.
Vaccinations: It wasn’t long ago in history when epidemics of measles, polio and influenza were killing tens of thousands of people annually. Rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Hemophilus and other diseases have been brought under control. Smallpox has been eradicated as a disease due to immunizations.
Workplace safety: Elimination of workplace health hazards such as black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis), silicosis, asbestos poisoning and reductions in injuries related to occupational hazards have reduced fatal occupational injuries by approximately 40% in the last 30 years.

These efforts don’t occur by accident and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Public health is a clear example of important, appropriate and effective societal collaboration for the betterment of us all. Next time you see a public health professional, give her or him a pat on the back. More importantly, take the time to review the above listing and be sure you’ve incorporated the items into your life.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Motor Vehicle Crashes

July 9, 2016Trauma844-SMA-TALK, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle crashes, MVA, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, TraumaJeffrey Sterling, MD

‘Tis not our task to preach but to inform. Maybe you think you’ve heard it all before, but let me lay it all out for you so you can truly be an informed consumer. Forewarned is forearmed. There’s a reason you hear so much about drinking or texting and driving, wearing seat belts/helmets and speeding. If there was such a thing as Human Shark Week, the biggest and baddest predator in the trauma world would be motor vehicle crashes.
Motor vehicle collisons are the single leading cause of death among those between ages 5-34 in the US. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in ERs as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Let’s lay this out simply and review the risks, the consequences and preventative efforts you should be taking.
Risky Behavior:

Drinking while driving – Stop it with the “I can handle my liquor” nonsense. Someone dies every hour from drinking while driving. It’s not just drunk driving, it’s impaired driving. Your senses are altered and ability to respond diminished at any level of alcohol consumption and is incrementally more so with more consumption.
Texting while driving
Eating while driving
Reading while driving
Doing your hair/shaving/makeup while driving
Kissing and other sexual activities while driving
Motorcycle driving/riding without a helmet
Letting your children drive without a license and/or formal training: it’s all too true. Teens are most at risk for accidents and being impaired/distracted/drunk while driving.
Letting your children ride in the front of the car
Not wearing seat belts (the biggest mistake of them all)

Injuries:

Traumatic Brain Injury, including intracranial bleeds, strokes, seizures, concussions, herniation and death…
Neck Injury, including fractures, strains, pinched nerves, temporary and permanent loss of motion/sensation in your extremities…
Chest wall bruising, heart and lung bruising, collapsed lungs, stab wounds to the heart and lungs, ruptured heart vessels…
Abdominal injuries, including contusions to and rupture of the liver, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and intestines…
Genital, urinary and pelvic injuries, including the kidneys and multiple fractures…
Nervous, psychologic and musculoskeletal system injuries, including contusions, life-threatening fractures and dislocations, paralysis, facial disfigurement and other scarring, post-traumatic stress syndrome and long term pain syndromes.

Prevention:

Seat belt use reduces serious injuries and deaths in crashes by 50%. Air bags provide added protection but are not a substitute for seat belts in a crash.
Wear a seat belt every time, every trip.
Seat all kids under 12 in the back seat.
Seat backseat passengers in the middle (it’s the safest spot in the car)
Regarding any function on a smartphone, if you can’t be hands free, it can wait. If you must use your hands, pull over.
Remember designated drivers? Yes, that’s still a thing.
If you’re on a motorcycle, wear a helmet, every time, every trip.
Protect your teen. No license, no vehicle. Consider driving school.

Impaired and distracted driving will cause you harm; it’s not an “if it’ll happen” situation, it’s “when it happens.” Please consider the points I’ve mentioned and the lives of passengers/other drivers when deciding how you handle your vehicle. Good luck on the road.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Public Health Has Saved More Lives Than Medical Care

April 1, 2016General Health and Wellness, Public Health844-SMA-TALK, asbestosis, Behind the Curtain, black lung disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, coronary heart disease, diphtheria, family planning, goiters, homophiles, immunizations, infant mortality, Influenza, measles, motor vehicle collision, pellagra, polio, rickets, rubella, Sexually transmitted disease, silicosis, smallpox, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, tetanus, vaccinationsJeffrey Sterling, MD

Control of infectious diseases: The combination of hand washing, improved sanitation and appropriate use of antibiotics has saved untold millions. Examples of once prominent diseases being much better controlled include cholera, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted infections.
Decrease in deaths from heart disease and stroke: The combination of risk modification, symptoms recognition and early treatment has contributed to a reduction in death rates by over 50% in the last four decades.
Family planning and contraceptive services: Innovations include barrier contraception to prevent pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other STDs, pre-pregnancy screening and counseling, promotion of smaller family size, longer intervals between children and the development of prenatal assessment.
Food safety and healthier food production: Food safety has involved reduction in contaminated food sources, better portion control, improvement of nutrition and appropriate components of meals. Fortification of foods has nearly eliminated once prominent diseases such as rickets, goiters and pellagra.
Fluoridation of drinking water: Multiple benefits exists including better infectious control and prevention of tooth decay. It’s estimated to have reduced tooth decay and loss by 40-70% since its inception in the 1940s.
Healthy mothers and babies: It is astounding that infant mortality rates dropped 90% and maternal mortality rates dropped 99% during the last century. The combination of better prenatal care, technological advances and better hygiene and nutrition all have played an important role.
Motor vehicle safety: Seat belts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, speed limits, air bags, safer highways and reduction in drinking and driving have all led to substantial reductions in deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard: Today there are more former smokers than current smokers and untold million of lives have been saved since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on the health risks of smoking.
Vaccinations: It wasn’t long ago in history when epidemics of measles, polio and influenza were killing tens of thousands of people annually. Rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Hemophilus and other diseases have been brought under control. Smallpox has been eradicated as a disease due to immunizations.
Workplace safety: Elimination of workplace health hazards such as black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis), silicosis, asbestos poisoning and reductions in injuries related to occupational hazards have reduced fatal occupational injuries by approximately 40% in the last 30 years.

These efforts don’t occur by accident and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Public health is a clear example of important, appropriate and effective societal collaboration for the betterment of us all. Next time you see a public health professional, give her or him a pat on the back. More importantly, take the time to review the above listing and be sure you’ve incorporated the items into your life.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Motor Vehicle Crashes

May 26, 2015Trauma844-SMA-TALK, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle crashes, MVA, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, TraumaJeffrey Sterling, MD

It is sad to note that John Forbes Nash Jr., the brilliant Princeton University mathematician whose life story was the subject of the film “A Beautiful Mind,” was killed with his wife Alicia this past weekend in a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. ‘Tis not our task to preach but to inform. Maybe you think you’ve heard it all before, but let me lay it all out for you so you can truly be an informed consumer. Forewarned is forearmed. There’s a reason you hear so much about drinking or texting and driving, wearing seat belts/helmets and speeding. If there was such a thing as Human Shark Week, the biggest and baddest predator in the trauma world would be motor vehicle crashes.
Motor vehicle collisons are the single leading cause of death among those between ages 5-34 in the US. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in ERs as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Let’s lay this out simply and review the risks, the consequences and preventative efforts you should be taking.
Risky Behavior:

Drinking while driving – Stop it with the “I can handle my liquor” nonsense. Someone dies every hour from drinking while driving. It’s not just drunk driving, it’s impaired driving. Your senses are altered and ability to respond diminished at any level of alcohol consumption and is incrementally more so with more consumption.
Texting while driving
Eating while driving
Reading while driving
Doing your hair/shaving/makeup while driving
Kissing and other sexual activities while driving
Motorcycle driving/riding without a helmet
Letting your children drive without a license and/or formal training: it’s all too true. Teens are most at risk for accidents and being impaired/distracted/drunk while driving.
Letting your children ride in the front of the car
Not wearing seat belts (the biggest mistake of them all)

Injuries:

Traumatic Brain Injury, including intracranial bleeds, strokes, seizures, concussions, herniation and death…
Neck Injury, including fractures, strains, pinched nerves, temporary and permanent loss of motion/sensation in your extremities…
Chest wall bruising, heart and lung bruising, collapsed lungs, stab wounds to the heart and lungs, ruptured heart vessels…
Abdominal injuries, including contusions to and rupture of the liver, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and intestines…
Genital, urinary and pelvic injuries, including the kidneys and multiple fractures…
Nervous, psychologic and musculoskeletal system injuries, including contusions, life-threatening fractures and dislocations, paralysis, facial disfigurement and other scarring, post-traumatic stress syndrome and long term pain syndromes.

Prevention:

Seat belt use reduces serious injuries and deaths in crashes by 50%. Air bags provide added protection but are not a substitute for seat belts in a crash.
Wear a seat belt every time, every trip.
Seat all kids under 12 in the back seat.
Seat backseat passengers in the middle (it’s the safest spot in the car)
Regarding any function on a smartphone, if you can’t be hands free, it can wait. If you must use your hands, pull over.
Remember designated drivers? Yes, that’s still a thing.
If you’re on a motorcycle, wear a helmet, every time, every trip.
Protect your teen. No license, no vehicle. Consider driving school.

Straight, No Chaser: Public Health Has Saved More Lives Than Medical Care

April 13, 2015General Health and Wellness, Public Health, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, asbestosis, black lung disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, coronary heart disease, diphtheria, family planning, goiters, homophiles, immunizations, infant mortality, Influenza, measles, motor vehicle collision, pellagra, polio, rickets, rubella, Sexually transmitted disease, silicosis, smallpox, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, tetanus, vaccinationsJeffrey Sterling, MD

Control of infectious diseases: The combination of hand washing, improved sanitation and appropriate use of antibiotics has saved untold millions. Examples of once prominent diseases being much better controlled include cholera, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted infections.
Decrease in deaths from heart disease and stroke: The combination of risk modification, symptoms recognition and early treatment has contributed to a reduction in death rates by over 50% in the last four decades.
Family planning and contraceptive services: Innovations include barrier contraception to prevent pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other STDs, pre-pregnancy screening and counseling, promotion of smaller family size, longer intervals between children and the development of prenatal assessment.
Food safety and healthier food production: Food safety has involved reduction in contaminated food sources, better portion control, improvement of nutrition and appropriate components of meals. Fortification of foods has nearly eliminated once prominent diseases such as rickets, goiters and pellagra.
Fluoridation of drinking water: Multiple benefits exists including better infectious control and prevention of tooth decay. It’s estimated to have reduced tooth decay and loss by 40-70% since its inception in the 1940s.
Healthy mothers and babies: It is astounding that infant mortality rates dropped 90% and maternal mortality rates dropped 99% during the last century. The combination of better prenatal care, technological advances and better hygiene and nutrition all have played an important role.
Motor vehicle safety: Seat belts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, speed limits, air bags, safer highways and reduction in drinking and driving have all led to substantial reductions in deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard: Today there are more former smokers than current smokers and untold million of lives have been saved since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on the health risks of smoking.
Vaccinations: It wasn’t long ago in history when epidemics of measles, polio and influenza were killing tens of thousands of people annually. Rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Hemophilus and other diseases have been brought under control. Smallpox has been eradicated as a disease due to immunizations.
Workplace safety: Elimination of workplace health hazards such as black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis), silicosis, asbestos poisoning and reductions in injuries related to occupational hazards have reduced fatal occupational injuries by approximately 40% in the last 30 years.

Straight, No Chaser: Public Health Has Saved More Lives Than Medical Care

April 8, 2014General Health and Wellness, Public Health, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, asbestosis, black lung disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, coronary heart disease, diphtheria, family planning, goiters, homophiles, immunizations, infant mortality, Influenza, measles, motor vehicle collision, pellagra, polio, rickets, rubella, Sexually transmitted disease, silicosis, smallpox, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, tetanus, vaccinationsJeffrey Sterling, MD

When I tell most people I have a degree in public health, the typical response involves an assumption that public health involves caring exclusively for the indigent. I guess if you watched the news you could get that impression as well. Public health is the discipline dedicated to optimizing care for populations. Over the course of my career, I’ve cared for a lot of patients as a physicians, and I’ve actually saved a few lives. However, the work I’ve done as a public health professional has affected millions. The opportunity to work in public health is extremely gratifying.
In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the field of public health has been responsible for adding 25 years to the life expectancy of U.S. citizens over the 20^th century. In this post I’d like to share the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the 20^th Century.” Hopefully, this will cause you to reflect on how these discoveries, innovations and habit promotion affect your life and provide you opportunities to live a healthier life. These are being presented in no particular order.

Control of infectious diseases: The combination of hand washing, improved sanitation and appropriate use of antibiotics has saved untold millions. Examples of once prominent diseases being much better controlled include cholera, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted infections.
Decrease in deaths from heart disease and stroke: The combination of risk modification, symptoms recognition and early treatment has contributed to a reduction in death rates by over 50% in the last four decades.
Family planning and contraceptive services: Innovations include barrier contraception to prevent pregnancy and transmission of HIV and other STDs, pre-pregnancy screening and counseling, promotion of smaller family size, longer intervals between children and the development of prenatal assessment.
Food safety and healthier food production: Food safety has involved reduction in contaminated food sources, better portion control, improvement of nutrition and appropriate components of meals. Fortification of foods has nearly eliminated once prominent diseases such as rickets, goiters and pellagra.
Fluoridation of drinking water: Multiple benefits exists including better infectious control and prevention of tooth decay. It’s estimated to have reduced tooth decay and loss by 40-70% since its inception in the 1940s.
Healthy mothers and babies: It is astounding that infant mortality rates dropped 90% and maternal mortality rates dropped 99% during the last century. The combination of better prenatal care, technological advances and better hygiene and nutrition all have played an important role.
Motor vehicle safety: Seat belts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, speed limits, air bags, safer highways and reduction in drinking and driving have all led to substantial reductions in deaths from motor vehicle crashes.
Recognition of tobacco as a health hazard: Today there are more former smokers than current smokers and untold million of lives have been saved since the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on the health risks of smoking.
Vaccinations: It wasn’t long ago in history when epidemics of measles, polio and influenza were killing tens of thousands of people annually. Rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Hemophilus and other diseases have been brought under control. Smallpox has been eradicated as a disease due to immunizations.
Workplace safety: Elimination of workplace health hazards such as black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis), silicosis, asbestos poisoning and reductions in injuries related to occupational hazards have reduced fatal occupational injuries by approximately 40% in the last 30 years.