ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the traffic environment and the epidemiology of traffic-related deaths and injury, and reviews what is known about effective prevention strategies, with an emphasis on strategies that are most applicable to lifestyle medicine. Traffic-related injuries have been recognized as a fundamental part of public health practice. The risk of death or injury varies by many factors, including sex, age, race/ethnicity, type of road user, and location. There are many effective strategies that are closely related to lifestyle factors and can be used to address the preventable deaths and injuries and that can be incorporated into clinical practice. In 2016, 28% of all traffic deaths involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of ≥0.08 g/dL, a level illegal in every state. A systematic review of designated driver programs in drinking establishments found insufficient evidence of their effectiveness in reducing alcohol-impaired driving or alcohol-related crashes.
