Objective: Fatalities from motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and vary up to 5... more Objective: Fatalities from motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and vary up to 5-fold among different states. This study examines state adoption of 25 evidence-based public policies focused on protecting occupant and driver safety, reducing underage and excessive drinking, penalizing drunk driving, and reducing other unsafe driving practices from 1982-1998 and quantifies the combined impact of these policies on traffic fatalities. Methods: Ecological time series/cross-sectional design, employing fixed effects negative binomial regression models of state-level traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. State policy comprehensiveness is measured by the proportion of the 25 evidence-based policies states have adopted at each year. Models control for state-level demographics, resources, and additional risk factors. Results: States vary substantially in the extent to which they have adopted a comprehensive package of the 25 policies examined here. A more ...
Objective: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor veh... more Objective: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor vehicle fatalities.
Study design: Repeated cross sectional time series design.
Methods: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980–2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables.
Results: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates.
Conclusions: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. – especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.
Objective: Fatalities from motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and vary up to 5... more Objective: Fatalities from motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and vary up to 5-fold among different states. This study examines state adoption of 25 evidence-based public policies focused on protecting occupant and driver safety, reducing underage and excessive drinking, penalizing drunk driving, and reducing other unsafe driving practices from 1982-1998 and quantifies the combined impact of these policies on traffic fatalities. Methods: Ecological time series/cross-sectional design, employing fixed effects negative binomial regression models of state-level traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. State policy comprehensiveness is measured by the proportion of the 25 evidence-based policies states have adopted at each year. Models control for state-level demographics, resources, and additional risk factors. Results: States vary substantially in the extent to which they have adopted a comprehensive package of the 25 policies examined here. A more ...
Objective: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor veh... more Objective: To examine the impact of variation in state laws governing traffic safety on motor vehicle fatalities.
Study design: Repeated cross sectional time series design.
Methods: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980–2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables.
Results: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates.
Conclusions: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. – especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.
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Papers by M. Paul
Study design: Repeated cross sectional time series design.
Methods: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980–2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables.
Results: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates.
Conclusions: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. – especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.
Study design: Repeated cross sectional time series design.
Methods: Fixed effects regression models estimate the relationship between state motor vehicle fatality rates and the strength of the state law environment for 50 states, 1980–2010. The strength of the state policy environment is measured by calculating the proportion of a set of 27 evidence-based laws in place each year. The effect of alcohol consumption on motor vehicle fatalities is estimated using a subset of alcohol laws as instrumental variables.
Results: Once other risk factors are controlled in statistical models, states with stronger regulation of safer driving and driver/passenger protections had significantly lower motor vehicle fatality rates for all ages. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with higher MVC death rates, as were state unemployment rates.
Conclusions: Encouraging laggard states to adopt the full range of available laws could significantly reduce preventable traffic-related deaths in the U.S. – especially those among younger individuals. Estimating the relationship between different policy environments and health outcomes can quantify the result of policy gaps.