According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) crash accident data from 2009 revealed that while motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of accidental death in the US, they are actually less likely in large US cites. The researchers reviewed data from 2009 from both the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Vital Statistics System. In 2009, 34,485 traffic fatalities were recorded.
Study Points to Certain Factors in Lower Fatality Rates
CDC researchers discovered the fatality rate from automobile crashes is lower among the nation’s 50 largest cities than the overall national rate. It was reported that the largest metropolitan areas in the country had an average rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 people compared to the average rate for the nation, which was 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people.
A total of 37 out of 50 metropolitan areas, which is equivalent to 74 percent, exhibited fatal accident rates lower than the national average. Another interesting finding contradicts the logic that denser populations would have a proportionately higher amount of accidents. The finding was quite the opposite, as the people in the 50 largest metropolitan areas represented 54 percent of the total population in the US, but only accounted for 40 percent of the fatal car accidents that year.
Younger Drivers More Dangerous, but Still Safer in Cities
CDC data also supported that statistically younger drivers are more at risk behind the wheel. In the US, the motor vehicle death rate for people between the ages of 15 and 24 was 17.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.1 per 100,000 for Americans of all ages. However, teens and young adults were still safer driving in urban areas. There, the death rate was 13.0 per 100,000 in MSAs and an even lower 10.9 per 100,000 in the major cities, according to the CDC report.
Report Provides Insight to Further Research
CDC researchers suggest that additional studies should focus on how development in large urban areas relates to auto accident fatalities. In addition, programs that have been successful in reducing the number of traffic fatalities in urban, highly populated areas should be extended to and implemented across the rural areas. A few popular interventions that may help reduce the number of deaths from car crashes are graduated driver licensing programs and alcohol-impaired driving prevention programs.
You can see how your city stacks up in the CDC’s full report by accessing it online here.
References:
CDC
