Motor Vehicle Injury
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 5-34 in the United States more. Crash-related deaths and injuries are largely preventable.
What You Should Do
- Use safety belts: Seat belts can reduce risk of serious injury or death by half; more)
- Make sure that children use age-appropriate child restraints and are seated in the correct position in a motor vehicle. more
- Do not speed;
- Do not drive distracted: avoid cell phone use, texting, and eating while driving; more
- Do not drink and drive;
- Talk to your teenage child about safe driving. Teenage drivers are 4 times more likely than older drivers to crash. more
What We Are Doing
Promoting seat belt use, raising public awareness about the deadly consequences of drunk driving, and supporting new laws that require safer driving including:
- The primary seatbelt law: gives law officers the authority to pull over and ticket motorists solely because they are not wearing a seat belt. Rhode Island became 1 of over 30 states to pass the Primary seat belt law in June 2011. more
- Social host law more
- Texting while driving prohibition more
- Cell phone use prohibition for drivers under the age of 18. more
- Supporting efforts to improve Rhode Island's graduated driver licensing laws. more
- Supporting efforts to strengthen Rhode Island's ignition interlock laws. more
Rhode Island Department of Health