Reckless, aggressive and distracted driving and failure to wear seatbelts all contributed to what Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called  a crisis on our roads.

Contrary to many people’s expectations that fewer cars on the road and fewer miles traveled would lead to a decrease in traffic accidents, crashes and traffic fatalities started to spike in 2020.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) early estimates of traffic fatalities in 2021 showed a continuation of this dangerous trend. The agency estimated that there were about  43,000 traffic deaths in 2021 – the highest number since the data began being collected in 1975.  According to the NHTSA, these spikes may be a result of speeding, not wearing a seat belt and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

What are we seeing in 2022 with more people resuming everyday activities, including  going back to school and work?  Early estimates for the first quarter of 2022 showed another record-breaking 7% increase in motor vehicle fatalities over the same period in 2021.

Some records are meant to be broken. This isn’t one of them. 

There are plenty of accidents where the occupants walk away seemingly unscathed or with minor injuries.  Those with no visible injuries are typically counted as the lucky ones.  But are they?  How many of these accidents result in concussions that go undiagnosed and untreated concussions until sufferers of long-term post-concussion symptoms go to their doctor?  Higher speeds on our roads translate into greater impacts in a crash and a higher likelihood of the brain being traumatized.  One doesn’t have to be knocked unconscious to have suffered a concussion.  In a motor vehicle accident, concussions can be caused when the driver and passengers hit their heads on the windshield or another object, as well as when they are violently thrown forward and backward.  When these traumatic events happen the human brain literally bounces around inside the skull. These abrupt movements can cause the connections between nerve cells to stretch and cause problems with connectivity within the brain. Intra-cranial bleeding may also occur and inflammation can cause brain swelling and further damage.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost three million patients with suspected brain injury (from all causes) visit the emergency room every year in the U.S. Other studies put the number much higher at 5 million, with as many as 2.4 million of these with mTBI. The numbers may even be higher with additional studies suggesting that as many as 50 percent of concussions go unreported .

Fortunately, most people recover from their concussions in a few weeks, but as many as one third of patients do not fully recover from their concussions.  Some have debilitating emotional and physical symptoms that continue to plague them for months and years.  Headaches; depression; cognitive, memory, vision and balance issues; and sleep disorders can make it difficult to function at work and at home.  Currently, treatment options for traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion included, are limited to mostly rest and pain relief. To date there are no effective pharmacological FDA-approved treatments for concussion

Oxeia is among the companies working to develop a much needed therapeutic that will treat the underlying pathology of concussion. However, we are still at least three to five years away from possible FDA approval.  And, even when we have an effective treatment, as the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus is purported to have said around 1500, “prevention is better than cure.”

Distracted, aggressive, impaired and reckless driving can have severe negative life altering consequences.  Everyone can do his and her part to prevent accidents on the road. The American Red Cross offers these car travel highway safety tips to help make our roads safer and protect yourself and others from becoming the next statistic:

• Buckle up, slow down, don’t drive impaired.

• Be well rested and alert.

• Use caution in work zones.

• Give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.

• Observe speed limits – driving too fast or too slow can increase your chance of being in a collision.

• Make frequent stops. During long trips, rotate drivers. If you’re too tired to drive, stop and get some rest.

• Be respectful of other motorists and follow the rules of the road.

• Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.

• If you plan on drinking, designate a driver who won’t drink.

• Clean your headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows to help you see, especially at night.

• Turn your headlights on as dusk approaches, or if you are using your windshield wipers due to inclement weather.

• Don’t overdrive your headlights.

• If you have car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible.