World Health Day
WORLD HEALTH DAY
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I recognize World Health Day, which is celebrated every year on April 7 in order to bring awareness to a specific health issue of global significance. This year, the World Health Organization has selected "Road Safety" as the theme for World Health Day.
Road safety is an imperative public health challenge that needs to be addressed. Every year, nearly 1.2 million people die in motor vehicle crashes worldwide and an estimated 10 to 15 million people are injured. In the United States, nearly 43,000 people die each year from motor vehicle crashes, making auto fatalities the number one killer of those between the ages of 4 and 34. Despite these already tragic and staggering statistics, some experts predict that motor vehicle fatalities will double by the year 2020, thus becoming the third greatest global health challenge, jumping from its current ranking of ninth.
The goal of World Health Day 2004 is to raise public awareness of traffic safety in hopes of reducing these motor vehicle fatalities and injuries worldwide. Wearing a seat belt continues to be the most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash and the implementation of a national primary seat belt law could save thousands of lives each year. Other important traffic and vehicle safety actions, such as greater consumer awareness of vehicle safety, stronger emphasis of safety with regard to vehicle design, stronger driver education programs, and the identification and disclosure of dangerous roads and intersections would greatly improve road safety and save lives. We have made some progress on these important issues here in the Senate, but we have a long way to go.
I would like to thank the World Health Organization, AAA, the Pan-American Health Organization, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and other important organizations all over the world that have worked tirelessly to confront this global epidemic of motor vehicle fatalities. Their work is saving lives.