Motor vehicle deaths: failed policy analysis and neglected policy.

The author of a recent book inferred that the slowed decline in U.S. vehicle fatality rates in the 1990 s relative to other industrialized countries resulted from too much emphasis on vehicle factors. He claimed that Canada had the same vehicle mix but a lower fatality rate. Actually, U.S. death rates by make and model applied to Canadian vehicle sales indicates that Canada's death rate would be the same as the U.S. if Canada had the same vehicle mix and annual miles driven. The U.S. had much greater growth in sales of large SUVs and pickup trucks that are heavier and stiffer than passenger cars, contributing to excess deaths of other road users in collisions. They are also more unstable, contributing to excess deaths of their occupants in rollovers. Lack of policy regarding these vehicle characteristics is the primary reason for the attenuated decline in vehicular fatality rates.