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Roadside spot checks reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road, according a study in the new Journal of Studies on Alcohol published by Rutgers University. The study found that for every $1 million spent on enforcement, the community saves about $7.9 million. Researchers calculated that maintaining sobriety checkpoints 156 nights a year in a community with 100,000 licenced drivers would reduce alcohol-related crashes by 15 per cent, and prevent one death and at least 60 serious injuries.
Globe and Mail, September 3, 1998

Unintentional injuries drain $8.7 billion annually from Canada's economy - $4.2 billion in health care, and $4.5 billion in productivity associated with losing people from the work force. Every year, over two million Canadians are injured, and every day 21 Canadians die from injuries; these statistics do not include violence or suicide. Falls and motor vehicle crashes represent over 60 per cent of the total costs.
The Economic Burden of Unintentional Injury in Canada, SmartRisk, November 23, 1998

A recent U.S. study found that while 96 per cent of parents always used a child seat for their newborn babies, just 17 per cent did the same for five-year-olds. Field researchers who stopped 4,000 drivers in four states found that about 80 per cent had made a mistake installer or securing a child-safety seat. An estimated 54 per cent of children under five who were killed in collisions were not using seat belts of safety seats.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Sport-utility vehicles are driving the North American auto industry. Sales of SUVs increased 16 per cent this year. The trend will continue as the number of buyers in the 40-50 year age range, the prime SUV-buying population, increases. By contrast, the number of car models dropped from 222 in1990 to only 130 this year.
The Ottawa Citizen, December 11, 1998

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