Bicycle Helmet Laws
The Problem: As of 1995, bicycle crashes caused approximately 1,000 deaths and 550,000 emergency room visits per year. The majority of these injuries involve some form of head trauma. CDC. Injury-Control Recommendations: Bicycle Helmets. MMWR. 1995;44(RR-1):1-18.
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Per Se Laws
The Problem: The operation of motor vehicles while intoxicated is a major public health problem. Each year in the United States roughly 13,400 people die and an additional 255,500 are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. These crashes account for 32 percent of all U.S. traffic-related deaths and cost roughly $51 billion a year. CDC: Impaired Driving Factsheet.
Cigarette Excise Taxes and Tobacco Cessation
The Problem: Tobacco use is a source of chronic and fatal illnesses for users and persons with secondary exposure. In the United States, cigarette smoking contributes to one in five deaths and costs more than $193 billion in annual lost productivity and healthcare expenditures. CDC: Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States, 2000–2004.
Bans on Specific Guns and Ammunition
The Problem: Firearms are the second leading cause of injury and deaths in the United States accounting for 30,896 deaths and 71,417 injuries in 2006. Over 80 percent of teen homicides and almost half of teen suicides involved a gun in 2005. CDC: WISQUARS. Overall, more than half of all homicides involve a gun. US Department of Justice: Crime Statistics.
Child Access Prevention (CAP) Laws for Guns
The Problem: Firearms are the second leading cause of injury deaths in the United States accounting for 30,896 deaths and 71,417 injuries in 2006. CDC: WISQUARS. Firearms are used in84 percent of the homicides of persons between the ages 10 and 24. CDC: Youth Violence Fact Sheet.
Waiting Period Laws for Gun Permits
The Problem: Firearms are the second leading cause of injury and deaths in the United States accounting for 30,896 deaths and 71,417 injuries in 2006. Over 80 percent of teen homicides and almost half of teen suicides in involved a gun in 2005. CDC: WISQUARS. Overall, more than half of all homicides involve a gun. US Department of Justice: Crime Statistics.
Ignition Interlock Laws for Convicted Drunk Drivers
The Problem: The operation of motor vehicles while intoxicated is a major public health problem. Each year in the United States roughly 13,400 people die and an additional 255,500 are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. In 2006, these crashes accounted for almost a third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths. CDC: Impaired Driving Factsheet.