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 50% (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. (more)
• 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 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)