Saving Lives Through Road Safety

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John Salak: Americans are on the move and pretty much have been ever since Henry Ford rolled as Model A out in 1903. Today. In fact, there are at least 235 million licensed drivers in the US to handle the country's 280 million vehicles. This means that about 85% of the adult population has a license. Want a comparison?

Less than 20% of adults in the rest of the world are licensed. All told American drivers cover more than 3 trillion road miles every year. [00:01:00] Triple the amount they drove 50 years ago. Now this mileage may be impressive, but it comes at a cost. There are almost 7 million car accidents annually in the US and these result in close to 5 million injuries.

Beyond this, there are about 45,000 road fatalities. These injuries in fatalities affect all age groups from infants and children all the way up to mature adults. Although drivers in their thirties are responsible for most car fatalities. This is pretty sobering news, but what may be more troubling is that even with increased driver safety awareness, new safety regulations, think seat belts and infant car seats, and the stream of advanced safety technology that's being installed into cars, the number of accidents and deaths per mile driven is going up.

Our upcoming guest is going to help explain why this is happening and what we can do so we can all stand a better chance of getting someplace in one piece.

So I'd like to [00:02:00] welcome our guest to this edition of What the Health and we're talking today with Amy Arto, senior Program Manager of Mobility Safety at the National Safety Council. So Amy, welcome to the broadcast. We're obviously gonna talk , a lot about Mobility in cars safety, how that's evolved, where it may be going, what we may be looking at in the future, and what people may need to think about.

Amy Artuso: Thank you for having me.

John Salak: I'm familiar with the National Safety Council, but I'm not sure all of our listeners will be. So can you give us a little background on what the National Safety Council is its mission, what it looks to do, and at the end of the broadcast, we'll also flag the website so people can visit and learn more about your work and the work of other people at the council.

Amy Artuso: Yes. Again, thank you for asking. The National Safety Council is a leading nonprofit safety advocate in the US. We are more than a hundred years old, first chartered by Congress to address safety in the workplace, and now we focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths. We wanna keep people [00:03:00] safe from the workplace to any place.

John Salak: That's great and noble. What's your particular background in getting in involved in this sort of work? I.

Amy Artuso: So me personally, I started my career as what's known as a child life specialist in pediatrics.

Okay. And I was working in an emergency department and surgical unit, and I was seeing children and families after they were in crashes or what's commonly known as accidents and. I wanted to be on the more proactive side of things. I knew there were educational programs out there that helped families learn how to use their car seats correctly, provided families with car seats if they couldn't afford one on their own.

Same thing with bike helmets. And fortunately the hospital I was at I was able to return to school for my master's degree and I focused on public health. And my background is predominantly in child passenger safety. Mm-hmm. And I was, Honored to be selected on the National Child [00:04:00] Passenger Safety Board, which is managed by the National Safety Council.

And through those chain of events, I became an employee at the National Safety Council. And that was more than 10 years ago. And I continue to be honored to participate in the work that we do. Alright.

John Salak: That's great. And that's a great ambition and great life's work. And when we talk about mobility safety. Are we talking generally about car safety? Does it go beyond that? Or is it just focused on that?

Amy Artuso: No, it does go beyond cars. We refer to vulnerable road users as mm-hmm. Pedestrians and bicyclists. It's any form of transportation that would get you from A to B.

That's Dean Mobile. Okay.

John Salak: Got it. So let's start with the concept of mobility safety, has it made substantial gains in the last 10 or 20 years? I mean, you've been involved deeply in the last 10 years. I'm sure you have background that goes beyond that or developed that.

Are we more effective in terms of mobility, safety now than we were 10 or 20 years ago?

Amy Artuso: I'm [00:05:00] gonna sound like two personalities here. I think there's layers to that question and the answers. So yes, my personal opinion is, I think technological improvements have certainly contributed to us being safer.

We also have enforcement and lessons learned that contribute to education and resources. But we need all three to advance safety. And unfortunately, something that's interesting I think right now is that traffic fatalities are at a historical high. So if you look at before the pandemic in 2019 and you compare last year with deaths per miles driven, we saw nearly a 22% increase according to statistics from the National Safety Council.

So for some reason traffic fatalities are increasing, but we have advancements in technology and education. That I would think we would be [00:06:00] safer, but I think some of that comes down to human factors, where the safety technology is only as good as. The people using it.

John Salak: And I wanna emphasize or make sure that I'm understanding what you're saying.

I saw the statistics as well road fatalities or a fatalities from accidents are on the rise. That's not simply a matter of more people driving. You're saying that there's more fatalities per mile driven. Correct. Correct. Okay. Mm-hmm. So it's not just a function of volume.

There's something else going on.

Amy Artuso: Right. And I can tell you something we saw during the pandemic is there were less people on the roads, but then it seems the people who were driving thought that they could be more reckless, if you will. Speeding increased. And some of the leading causes of crashes are speeding.

distracted driving impairment. So with less people on the road, I think those that were on the roads may have engaged in more risky behaviors.[00:07:00]

John Salak: Any idea why, why that may be happening? Even if it's anecdotal? Was it something about the pandemic that I, I'm not saying that lightly, but you know, it was an escape for people in some weird way to get in the car and move.

Amy Artuso: well, this is purely anecdotal, but I think there's a widespread belief that crashes only happen to other people. People tend to think that they're invincible. We know this about teenagers, but mm-hmm. It's not exclusive to teenagers. I mean, roadway fatalities are a leading cause of preventable injuries and fatalities or deaths across all age groups.

Certainly I think through age 25 right now for sure. But if, motor vehicle crashes are not the leading cause in a certain age group, often it is the second leading cause of preventable injuries and deaths for a particular age group.

John Salak: And there's so much information out there now, about seatbelt, about infant seats, about, these sort of factors.

Is it [00:08:00] that the information that's getting out there while useful is maybe focused too narrowly? And not to say that we shouldn't promote car seats for infants and things like that, but it's not extending beyond

Amy Artuso: that. Well, what I can tell you from my own experiences working at community events and talking to families some of it, I don't know if it's generational, because a lot of times people would say to me, oh, I grew up just fine without all of these things.

And while that's true and I'm happy for that person, and they're very fortunate, there's a lot of lessons learned from other people that these are typically why laws and regulations and safety. Practices change and evolve because of things that are happening out there. So I've heard a lot of people say, oh, I don't need to use car seats.

That's just the government. Or, a way for companies to make money. No, truly we do know that car seats for infants, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or nitsa. Nitsa says, [00:09:00] properly used car seats increase the safety for infants by 71% and for toddlers who are considered ages one to four, that increases correct use of car seats, increases their safety by around 45.

54%. So it's just tried and true. Like we know that these devices are helping to keep our youngest passengers safe. We know that there's a lot of crash testing involved with product development, whether it's car seats or vehicles and even the crash test dummies model males. So there's a higher risk involved.

Right from the start for females before you even get into considering children, let alone infants. So , the car seats, booster seats, and seat belts need to be understood how to u use them correctly. And when used correctly, they do go a long way in advancing safety.

John Salak: What's the use of car seats among [00:10:00] people who have young children.

Is it growing? I mean, certainly there's a focus on it and people can get in trouble if I assume in certain states, or if not all states, if they're riding around with an infant who's not in a safety seat. I, is the use of car seats growing or is it declining? And I don't wanna get into culture wars or anything like that, but in general,

Amy Artuso: I think it, again, this is gonna have to be anecdotal, but I do think it's more common to be using car seats.

It's a relatively new technology when you compare car seats to seat belts, if you will. But again, it's like putting a puzzle together and it's very challenging for people. You have to know what the instructions are for your car, for your car seat, and what's best for your child based on their size, their height, their weight, the developmental level.

So it's kind of like putting a puzzle together. And there is a national certification out there nationally, certified child passenger safety technicians who are [00:11:00] available. Often to help families at no cost to help put that puzzle together, to keep their children as safe as possible. Because you mentioned this, John, it is a patchwork system in the US from state to state.

The child passenger safety laws are different but in a crash, The laws of physics are gonna win out over.

John Salak: Do all states have child safety seat laws? Even if they vary? They do. Okay.

And how variable are they? I mean, what would be the difference? Just anecdotally, again, we don't need to mention a particular state unless you want

Amy Artuso: to. Sure, sure. Some states require infants to remain rear facing in their car seats through age two. Others don't. There's different ages that states require children to remain in booster seats.

So I think those are the two areas with the greatest variability right now.

John Salak: And what? Go ahead. I'm sorry. No,

Amy Artuso: it's okay. I was just gonna say for the audience to be aware, because I think this is something that has changed over time. [00:12:00] What we wanna see, we wanna keep children in car seats, is until they fit in a seatbelt correctly.

And that's even gonna be different from vehicle to vehicle. Typically, the larger a vehicle is, the longer it takes for a person to fit in a seatbelt correctly. Correct. Seatbelt fit is defined when you can sit upright in a seat all the way back in the seat with your knees comfortably bent over the front edge of the seat and feet flat on the floor of the vehicle.

And that again, there's a lot of variability from vehicle to vehicle. And so some children, even between ages of 10 and 12, Should still be in a booster seat because the seatbelt in a vehicle doesn't fit correctly. Got

John Salak: it. And, and that seems like it's going to be somewhat of an uphill battle. Yes. I think, to get that in

Amy Artuso: place.

Agreed. I think in general, people do not have an understanding of the why behind these recommendations. Or how to tell if their [00:13:00] children are correctly secured in a vehicle.

John Salak: What about enforcement of these regulations, and again, it's probably anecdotal, but do we see a lot of enforcement? Do we see a growing awareness of the need in enforcement or local authorities, stressing these regulations?

Amy Artuso: Yes, enforcement is a key piece of the puzzle. A lot of the child passenger safety technicians that I know are police officers, and that's a direct result of their experiences and what they've seen at crash scenes. They understand the need for this use. Now, when roadside, it's hard for officers to tell just looking at a child how old they are.

But if they can understand. The different phases of child passenger safety, rear facing car seats versus forward facing car seats, booster seats, and then transitioning to a seatbelt. We don't like to say graduate because we're advocating for children to remain in each of those phases mm-hmm.

As long as possible for their safety. There's an awareness out [00:14:00] there. But again, going back to the law, sometimes it's primary enforcement versus secondary enforcement, meaning, In some states, if it's primary enforcement law law officers can pull over a vehicle for that reason. If it's secondary enforcement, the vehicle needs to be pulled over for a different reason.

Mm-hmm. And then if that's also present, then that's a violation as well. Got it.

John Salak: This was something I was gonna ask a little later, but I wanna bring it up now because you raise the issue of people saying, well, when I was. Growing up nobody was in a seatbelt. There weren't child safeties laws.

I mean, and I will admit this, the amount of drinking and driving we did as teenagers when we first got our licenses was astronomical. Compared to people today. In fact, I even remember being pulled over occasionally by a police officer for something else and saying, okay, I wasn't stumbling outta the car or anything like that, but I said, okay, just drive home and you're fine.

Which wouldn't happen today. But for people from this generation of people who remember the past when they [00:15:00] weren't faced with these sort of regulations, This is probably going to be mature adults and even grandparents. Are they less likely to make sure infants and young children are put in safety seats or buckled up properly?

Amy Artuso: And I, I'll be honest with you, I remember the time before car seats and. I think it goes back to what I said before, that there is a widespread belief out there that I grew up just fine without these devices.

However, as a mom with parents who are now grandparents, I think there's, it's situational, there's different circumstances. It depends on, If the grandparents are buying into, I think a lot of times the advocacy is led by the parents. Like mm-hmm. We learned in a parenting class or the hospital said we have to do this, and then the grandparents kind of come along with the parents and learn as all of this

John Salak: evolves.

Sure. So let's talk about then, Other demographics or other age groups in terms of car safety because an [00:16:00] infant or a young child is dependent on somebody else driving the car or putting them in the seat or putting on their seatbelt or whatnot. Are there groups that are at particular risk from.

Car safety , and obviously that includes seat belts and other precautions, but it also includes all the other things you're saying from alcohol to speeding to distracted driving even things like road rage. Are there certain demographics that we see, man, that's a problem area for whatever reason?

Amy Artuso: Yes. One area we focus on in the mobility safety programs at the National Safety Council is teenagers or new and novice drivers. And the reason I use that language is historically car crashes are the number one cause of preventable death for teens, because they're new drivers, they're not as experienced.

However, a trend that we're seeing is when I reached the age where I could get my driver's license. I was there on day one. Now we're seeing teenagers aren't getting their driver's license right away. Mm. They're delaying that process. [00:17:00] And so now we reference that group as new and novice drivers and, but they could be older than 16, it could be 18 or 21.

John Salak: And why do you think they're delaying it? I have one theory is that perhaps not as many schools offer driver education as they used to.

Amy Artuso: I think that may be true but I also think there's more resources available now. And again, this is just me speaking as a parent. Sure. I know if I wanted to see my friends when I was a teenager, I had to physically go to where they were.

Mm-hmm. Now my children are seeing their friends all day, every day through their phones, their cell phones. Interesting. Yeah. Video chatting. They also have more resources such as rideshare vehicles, Uber, Lyft. There's transportation too, but there's, there's differences geographically, whether we're talking rural or urban, but they don't, there's not as big of a need, I think, to have, to physically be somewhere else, to socially engage like there used to be in the past.

John Salak: I can speak anecdotally.[00:18:00] Our daughter did not get her license until after she graduated from college. Which shocked me 'cause I grew up in the suburbs and as soon as you were 16, you got your learner's permit and at 17 you got your driver's license provided you could pass the driving test.

Right. Which was probably one of the scariest tests in the world. Everybody was, is the greatest accomplishment in my life is I worked in Britain for six years and I passed their road test on the first try. Congratulations. Yeah, that was that. And that was pretty scary too. So, what about the use of, let's get away from me and my problem?

It's funny you say

Amy Artuso: that. No, no, no. I'll, I'll validate for you. I had the same experience in Germany. It's not quite as different as Britain, but there's more of a language barrier than which.

John Salak: Right, right. Good point. Let's, let's go back just a second to seat belts.

And we're talking about now for teens and up mature adults, middle aged adults, older adults once it seems like everybody uses a seatbelt. Now, is that the case [00:19:00] or uh, not

Amy Artuso: I do not think it's as common for adults in rear seating positions. Mm-hmm. There seems to be a trend where it, it's not registering that seat belts are just as important if you're in a ride share vehicle or if you're in the backseat in someone else's car. And it is just as important, no matter which seat you are sitting in, every passenger should be correctly buckled up and, I understand.

Some people are still driving older vehicles, but especially in newer vehicles, all seating positions tend to have lap and shoulder seat belts. Mm-hmm. And that's considered the safest. And when it comes to those lap belts, people may be wearing their seat belts, but then we see. People putting the lap belt behind their back or under their arm.

And that's particularly dangerous. So we wanna encourage people to use their seat belts every time, but also use them correctly. They should be across the chest, not touching the neck. And seat belts are made to protect people using the strongest points of our [00:20:00] body. Mm-hmm. They spread out crash forces over a wider space.

So I think even. People can't see us. We might be able to do a little exercise if you take your pointer finger and push it in the palm of your opposite hand and see what that feels like. Mm-hmm. And then open your hand all the way and bring your hands together. You can feel, or that may give people a visual on how the difference in how the impact of something feels when it's spread out, spread out over a wider mm-hmm.

Face, and that's part of what seat belts help do to prevent injury. , it's at the two hip points, which are a strong point of the body and across the chest. Again, not on the neck. And that is also a hard part of the body versus the soft neck or the soft stomach where. When people are putting the belt under their arm, they're increasing the chance of injury in the soft parts of the body.

Or when they put it behind their back, they've just removed all the upper body [00:21:00] protection that the seatbelt provides. And so again, I just really wanna encourage people to use their seat belts and use them correctly.

John Salak: People are using their seat belts more and more, correct.

Amy Artuso: I do think they're using them more, and there are studies out there, but I can't tell you the data right off the top of my head. There's observation studies that observers are on the side of the road and as cars pass, and there's a whole methodology to this. So we do think that more people, definitely from decades ago, people are using their seat belts more often now.

John Salak: And I'm also seeing friends and, and or whomever. When we're in a car together, more people are clicking their, the seat belts in the backseat when they get in. Now, not everyone is, and I will confess, I don't always do that, but obviously it's a smart thing to do. It's a wise thing to do, and I do see more people doing it.

And then it reminds me I need to do it as well.

Amy Artuso: One person in the vehicle not being buckled up can hurt everybody else in a crash. That person then becomes, and I, I don't mean this to sound unfeeling [00:22:00] at all, but a person becomes a projectile in a crash.

Mm-hmm. And they get thrown around the vehicle and that can cause injury to the people buckled up. Even though they took those extra safety precautions. So that's why it's important for everybody in a vehicle to buckle up.

John Salak: What are the other ways that people need to think about to protect themselves? and we, obviously you shouldn't drive if you're intoxicated or have had too much to drink, and speeding and distracted driving , and those are certainly all, I'm sure, some of the most prominent reasons for accidents And Please chime in if that's not the case.

Is there a way to, checklist this or, to get people thinking in the right direction?

Amy Artuso: Yeah. Well, you're correct. If we wanna checklist it. Three of the leading causes of crashes are speeding, distraction and impairment. So, and it's not just drinking it is the opioid crisis.

Mm-hmm. It's substance abuse in addition to alcohol, but also fatigue is a form of impairment, so falling asleep at the wheel. And then when [00:23:00] it comes to distraction, There's three components to that. And so there's so many things that qualify as distraction, but to try and simplify it, when you are driving, you should keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your mind focused on driving.

So even taking, I. Cell phones as an example. A lot of people think it's safer to use hands free versus handheld, and while hands free, does keep your hand on the wheel, it's still taking your mind off of driving and there's data and studies to support how much less people see while they're driving, when their mind is engaged in the conversation.

Ah,

John Salak: interesting.

Amy Artuso: I have been asked like, how is that different from talking to people inside the car? That's

John Salak: what I was about to

Amy Artuso: ask. Yeah. Yeah. I have been asked this before. In theory, the idea is the people in the car are also seeing what's going on around you. Mm-hmm. And they can help identify risks.

Whereas the people that you're talking to are completely separated. Now, I will tell you as a [00:24:00] mom, children can also be a distraction and , I acknowledge that and accept it. But we also have a role as parents to teach our children. We are role models for when they grow up and start driving. And also teaching them what it means to be a passenger in a vehicle and give them jobs or roles to help with safety.

John Salak: And what would those roles be for those younger passengers?

Amy Artuso: They can help make sure that everybody's buckled up. Mm-hmm. They can make sure that people are not using their phones while they're driving. I will go back and tell you that back in the day when I was doing community events, children would often tell on the adults that they're in, when the conversation comes up about, are you buckling up?

Are you using the phone when you're driving? So, they definitely know. And can help with that. And then also not being a distraction, knowing that they should sit in their seat and this is not the time to be, super active or, maybe they've got a question for mom, but can it wait until we get to where we're [00:25:00] driving to?

Things like that.

John Salak: Okay. Yeah, I wanna touch on some of the technology in the cars. Good and bad. I assume mostly good, but it's something that struck me and I am chronically guilty of this so I can be a poster boy for ev everything that goes wrong in a car. I often don't buckle up if I'm only going 10 or 20 blocks.

And I read somewhere that this is particularly dangerous 'cause most accidents happen within a mile or two of someone's home. So is this the problem and is that true?

Amy Artuso: It is true. And the last statistic I knew it was within three miles of the home. And I almost think, and again, this is basing it on my personal experience as a driver, I almost think you kind of let your guard down when you're closer to home.

I've been on long trips and then it it's almost like a relief. You're almost to the finish line. And I'm not sure if that's exactly the reason why, but maybe people's, people's defenses are down because they're. If they think it's safer, because they're not going as far.

And you're right. I mean, that's the case with adults and seat belts. It's [00:26:00] seen with children in car seats. Mm-hmm. But yes, it's more crashes tend to happen closer to home.

John Salak: And , I would suspect a, there's a greater percentage of people not wearing their seat belts when they're just going 10 blocks or 20 blocks or something like that.

I believe that's true. Yeah. Be again. 'cause people are always telling me to put on my seatbelt if I'm just running down town. Technology in cars and, and I'm, there's a lot of good things I'm sure that you can outline about the emergence of safety technology in cars, but, In talking about distractions something that struck me because we're about to get another new car really is the interactive screens in cars.

There's so much choice and so much information coming off of those screens. It's hard not to pay attention to them. And the screens are also getting larger. I won't mention the brand, but I saw a screen, it looked like a small widescreen tv. I mean, it was enormous in the car.

I wonder if that's creating a problem as well.

Amy Artuso: I can't [00:27:00] say definitively, but I can say, that it is a topic of conversation. Those are selling features for manufacturers. And the more you know, it comes down to supply and demand. The more people want 'em, the more those are gonna be options and vehicles.

Now there are some safety aspects, rather than using your handheld phone for navigation, If that could be a benefit. But again, it's up to each individual driver to understand the risks and then manage them as to the best of your ability.

So I may need help knowing how to get from point A to point B in the navigation system is helping me with that. But I also know that my job is to focus on the road, keep my eyes on the road as much as possible. So it's kind of a balancing act. Sure. And the National Safety Council does have a resource called My Car Does What?

Because technology is constantly evolving. That's a site that people can visit for free and learn [00:28:00] more about the different technologies that are becoming more common in their vehicles.

John Salak: I'm assuming the ones you're talking about, are safety focused technologies, safety centric technologies, or technologies in general that may have, a positive or negative impact on safety?

Amy Artuso: Yes. Yes. So it could be adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, anti-lock braking systems the automatic parallel parking. Mm-hmm. I think a lot of people are probably gonna appreciate the automatic parallel parking. The sure braking systems, advancing, those are definitely all safety features in, meant to help drivers.

I think there are some technologies that are emerging that are more for convenience. But predominantly the focus is on safety features, improving safety,

John Salak: which, which makes perfect sense. So when you talk about the advances or when we look at the advances in safety technology in cars, what are the most important features or.

Are people engaging them? Is it the warning sounds that come [00:29:00] if you, move too close to a car or you shift lanes too quickly. Or if you're on a country road or any road and all of a sudden you seem to wobble a little bit and then you get a flashing sign on, your dashboard says, do you need a cup of coffee?

And I'm not lessening that, but it is amazing some of the technology features. What do you see as most effective? Where do you see technology going in the future?

Amy Artuso: That's not really my area of specialty, but mm-hmm. I, I do Well, I think that technology obviously is just gonna continue to evolve and a lot of it is based on data and lessons learned.

John Salak: Things like, the advent of, hands-free parallel parking, which actually seems scary to me because I grew up, living in an urban area so long that, I can parallel park in almost any space without bumping bumpers.

But I understand that other people can't, it's, anyway, that always seems very weird to me. I think

Amy Artuso: that brings up a good point and it's experience, helps well in theory, experience helps improve safety. And that's going back to that, that piece of the [00:30:00] conversation we had about new and novice drivers.

Mm-hmm. Being more at risk. So you have a lot of experience with parallel parking, so you're more comfortable with it, whereas others who don't have that experience, this technology could help them. One area we haven't talked about that I will share technology could have a big improvement is children in hot cars and one thing.

Oh, okay. I would like to have people think about even if you don't have young children in your home, it is important to always lock your vehicle before you walk away your parked vehicle if you have children in your neighborhood. The leading circumstances for children. Being injured or dying due to what we call pediatric vehicular heat stroke, or the inside of a parked vehicle becoming dangerously or deadly.

Hot temperatures our children. Being unknowingly left or forgotten in a vehicle. And also children gaining access to unlocked vehicles. That's the second leading scenario. Interesting. In that risk area. So drivers of all [00:31:00] ages, if you're a vehicle owner, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to lock your vehicle before you walk away.

But going back to technology, there are technologies available that could help identify children or people with disabilities in or older adults. Sure. Mentioned all of those, populations that could help identify that somebody still is in the vehicle. If the driver, sometimes drivers knowingly leave.

People in the car 'cause they think, oh, I'm just gonna be a few minutes, and then that visit could be delayed. Right. It could take longer, but I don't think that people understand how quickly the inside of a vehicle becomes dangerously hot. Especially for children. Their bodies don't regulate heat as well as adults.

It's actually, they heat up three to five times faster than an adult, and temperatures on average increase in the car by almost 20 degrees in 10 minutes. Wow. So especially right now when you think about how hot it is outside, [00:32:00] or I can give you an example for adults, you think about you turn the car off to pump gas and how hot your car gas.

Sure. Just in that amount of time, I mean, It's knowing children's bodies don't adapt to heat as well. How quickly the temperature inside a vehicle becomes dangerously hot. It's so important never to leave children unattended in vehicles. For the heat factors or because they can engage the vehicle causing a risk for other people outside or surrounding the vehicle.

There's actually one state that has a law that that is the reason you don't leave children unattended in a vehicle because of the harm they could cause to people outside of the vehicle around them. So that's just another point I wanted to raise because I think when we talk, we just learned of the 16th child that died in the US and it's not just a warm weather state issue.

It's not just a summer issue. Deaths have happened in all months of the year and they've happened in all [00:33:00] but three states in the US and I think people especially that don't have young children in the home think that the topic is not relevant for them. But again, if you even have children around your vehicle, it's important to Sure.

Always make sure that you're locking.

John Salak: That, that's fascinating and an awareness that I think a lot of people wouldn't have because okay, if you're not driving with young children, why do I care whether my vehicle is locked or not? Especially if I don't care if something's being stolen or I'm not thinking about that.

Or I may be in an area where I think crime is not an issue. And it's also interesting. It's a cold w weather issue as well. Is it as pronounced in cold weather? And certainly the loss of any child or any injury , is significant. But it is also a cold weather issue.

Amy Artuso: It is, and it has to do with vehicle heating dynamics.

Mm-hmm. Because of how UV rays interact with the windows in a vehicle and that heating mechanism that takes place inside the vehicle because of that interaction, it doesn't matter obviously. It does matter to the [00:34:00] extent that whatever the temperature is outside of the vehicle, like I said, it takes about, 20 degrees every 10 minutes.

So if you're starting at 56 degrees outside the vehicle you have longer, before you get Sure, life threatening temperatures inside. But the car is heating up, whether it's winter or. Summer. There are definitely more deaths in the summer, but mm-hmm. Again, we've lost, and to your point, and we say this at the National Safety Council, one child is too many.

Especially because 100% of these deaths are preventable. Yeah.

John Salak: Ab absolutely, absolutely. People seem particularly aware of, at least again, this is what's seen on the news or at least reflected of people who accidentally leave children or pets in cars. Mm-hmm. If you leave your dog in the car or your child, , for any length of time there seems to be people who are knocking on the door or trying to chase you down or that sort of thing.

Do you think that's a misconception?

Amy Artuso: No, I think that [00:35:00] this is a issue that there's more awareness about. Mm-hmm. And I do think the media's played a role with that. Because especially this time of year, we are constantly hear, we are regularly hearing of another child's death somewhere in the country.

And you're right, pets are not excluded. I just happen to be more familiar with the dynamics surrounding children. So I do think that there's more of an awareness about it. And so I think, yes.

Yeah,

John Salak: I think it's, and I mean, probably people also relate to young children and pets more than to other.

Dangers too. They feel more responsible. We've covered a lot of ground. We're going to recommend and provide everyone with contact information for the National Safety Council, in a minute.

But what are some of the biggest misconceptions about mobility, safety? Maybe it's, the fact that we think it's improving, but it may not be improving or there are other issues that, we feel it's really not on

the individual to deal with it's a technology issue. It's a regulatory issue. It's something else.

Amy Artuso: I think all of those play a role. I think [00:36:00] things for people to know that driving is the most dangerous task. We, as people living in the United States do every day, and that traffic fatalities are preventable.

However, there's also, again, what we call vulnerable road users of pedestrians and cyclists, and. The current transportation system doesn't prioritize safety for those outside of motor vehicles. And so it's important for all of us. I think we all contribute to safety and so pedestrian, cyclists, motorcyclists they all saw an increase in deaths last year.

And we also know that It's not equitable across all populations. And so, I think technology is definitely part of it, helping. I think people understanding what they can do to keep people safe. So, in-vehicle travel, children require appropriate child restraint devices based on their size and developmental level like we talked about.

The National Safety Council is calling for uniform [00:37:00] child passenger safety practices regardless of which state you live in.

We should be recognizing or practicing. Best practice safety, regardless of what the laws are in your state and understanding that car crashes are a leading cause of death for children and that car seats do save lives especially when used correctly. And we, the National Safety Council has a variety of free resources.

Through the Mobility Safety Program, we have a free online training for car seats, it's called Car Seat Basics. You can learn just about the particular child passenger safety phase that you're in, or you can complete the entire training. We have a free online training about children in hot cars and how to keep children safe.

How it is a relevant issue for everyone and why children are particularly at risk. We have free resources to support teaching teens and new and novice drivers how to drive safely. Another thing we haven't talked about, one of our programs is the check to protect program. Which focuses on [00:38:00] open safety vehicle recalls.

Mm-hmm. I think this does play into the technology conversation because one of the leading issues in vehicle recalls is airbags. And often when I people hear technology, I think they think of the electronic systems. But any product design whether it's car seats, airbags, those are all advancing technology.

And so if you go to checktoprotect.org, which is a program managed by the National Safety Council, you can just enter in your license plate or your VIN number. And none of the personal information is tracked, but you can find out if you have an open safety recall on your vehicle.

Wow. Mm-hmm. And if you do, you take it to an authorized dealership and they will fix the recall for free.

John Salak: Got it. Okay. One thing that we haven't touched on is probably worth an, entirely different conversation is issues around older drivers and safety. I mean you see a lot of very old people driving and doesn't mean they're not safe, but are there certain [00:39:00] concerns other than let's say eyesight and ability and or hearing.

Are there other concerns for mature drivers that you know are creating additional risks?

Amy Artuso: Well, I think you touched on several, you know there's reflex. Mm-hmm. The time it takes you to respond mm-hmm. To something it is the eyesight. But making sure that there's also a program called the Car Fit Program, and it's making sure that.

Older adults are also positioned correctly. Mm-hmm. Making sure they can see through the mirrors. I'm not an expert in that area, but we definitely want to make sure as within everything, that people are being as safe as possible. So, yes, I've been through the aging process with family members.

I understand that loss of independence, but when it comes to safety on the road. We really do, we need to make sure that older adults are still comfortable mm-hmm. In their seating positions. They should be buckling up. They should make sure, like I said, adjusting their mirrors and [00:40:00] be able to comfortably reach the steering wheel and the brakes.

Um mm-hmm. Without putting themself in danger, being too close to airbags. There is, Discussion out there, if there should be different testing protocols or mm-hmm. How frequently people can renew their driver's license and what's involved in that process. Again, that's not an area of expertise for me, but there are definitely things to take into consideration there.

John Salak: And as with any driver, it's not just their safety, obviously, it's going to be the safety of people around them, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, whomever. Absolutely. Yeah. And something to think about. There's a lot more we could go over and a lot more we should go over and we can do this again and maybe focus down on a particular issue.

But I really wanna thank you for your time and your insights. It's been great. And I want to recommend listeners, they want more information to go to the National Safety Council, and the website is nsc.org. Amy, Thank you very [00:41:00] much.

We hope to have you back and we can talk about other issues with mobility, safety, and then maybe from the standpoint of people outside the car that, we need to think about. So again, thank you very much for helping us out today.

Amy Artuso: Thank you for having me. And thank you for your focus on this topic.

It's very important.

John Salak: Before we move on to Health Hack, we want to again, encourage listeners to take advantage of the hundreds of exclusive discounts, Well-Well offers on a range of health and wellness products and services. These include everything from fitness and athletic equipment, to dietary supplements, personal care products, organic foods and beverages, and more.

Signing up is easy and free. Visit us at wellwellusa.com. Go to Milton's. Discounts on the top menu bar and the signup form will appear. Signing up will take seconds, but the benefits can last for years. Okay. How about some health hacks? There seems to be endless ways to improve car safety, both for drivers and passengers.

Amy Arto certainly provided lots of sound information on this, but [00:42:00] we want to stress a few key points. Also, remember, accidents sometimes can't be avoided, but the risk of serious injuries can be reduced through some basic precautions. One seat belts are a must, not only for front seat passengers, but for those in the back seats as well.

Two infants need to be in age appropriate seats, and children really, along with all passengers, must wear seat belts properly. Three, put seat belts on no matter how short the trip. Lots of accidents, too many in fact, happen within a few miles of home. Four, don't speed. This will not only reduce the chance of getting a ticket, it means you'll stand a better chance of avoiding devastating injuries should you be in an accident.

Five. Don't drive drunk, buzzed, or high Heck. Don't drive if you're agitated for whatever reason, and wait [00:43:00] to text anyone until you've reached your destination. Six. Don't forget to do a quick pre drive safety check before starting. Make sure your lights are on, your mirrors are adjusted, and your tires are okay.

And if you're looking for that particular music station or game broadcast, get it set before you take off. You shouldn't be fiddling while driving. Well, that's it for this edition of What The Health. I want to thank Amy Arto from the National Safety Council for taking the time to speak with us. And if you'd like to get more information and insights on safe driving, please check out the council's website at N sc Do org.

That's n sc.org. They have lots of great information there. So again, thanks for listening in and we hope you'll join us again on what the Health.

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