Volume 1, Number 2 - October/November 1997

In the words of the landmark 1989 report Injury Prevention: Meeting the Challenge, "Injury is a public health problem because of its magnitude and because of its consequences for the health of Americans. Traffic injuries alone have produced more fatalities than all the wars in which the United States has fought, combined." Safe Communities provides an important opportunity to expand the role of public health in promoting traffic safety.

Public health agencies have much to offer Safe Communities. They have expertise in using data to identify and prevent injuries. They have experience in health care delivery systems and evaluation. They have access to and credibility among important target populations, the result of years of participation in WIC programs, immunization campaigns, and other community-based initiatives.

The powerful role that public health agencies can play in injury prevention programs is amply demonstrated in On the Road to Safety: Strategies and Resources for Traffic Safety in the Community, a short book describing projects implemented by local health departments with small grants from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The case studies include a project to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries among school children in Chatham County, Georgia; a Syracuse, New York, program providing driver education to recent immigrants; and a Nebraska program encouraging safe driving by teenagers on rural roads. On the Road to Safety is available from NACCHO, 440 First Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20001. Telephone (202) 783-1583.

Top of Page