Community voice
by Kathleen Rowe, MPHc What if I told you there was a disease that killed 32,000 , injured 2.3 million Americans, and cost our nation a staggering $836 billion (in both economic and loss of life costs)? What if this disease, and its resulting injury, disability, and death, disproportionately burdened our children, elderly, poor, and non-white communities? Would the public panic? Would public health professionals declare this disease an epidemic?
Well, here’s the good news: 1) What I just described to you is actually 100% preventable and 2) It’s not a disease either. It's the mortality, morbidity, and economic costs associated with our county’s transportation network and its dependence upon motor vehicles. Here’s the not-so-good news: Transportation indirectly affects our health too. And I’m not just talking about the air pollutants in motor vehicle emissions and the environmental costs of the manufacturing and maintaining motor vehicles. Nor am I talking about the direct effects of prolonged motor vehicle operation, which include higher rates of cardiovascular disease, stress, obesity, and colon cancer. I’m talking predominately about the fact that transportation is a social determinant of health. The quality of our transportation system determines the means and methods through which we access resources, and how and where we are able to travel to. In simpler terms, transportation directly affects our access to food, employment, education, and health care. Transportation systems are also inequitable. America’s current transportation system is financially incentivized to favor motor vehicles. To use a motor vehicle, you must have the privilege and resources to learn how to drive, get licensed, and purchase a car. Side note: my statements do not neglect that America (NHTSA) has taken steps to improve the safety of its transportation network by implementing consumer safety standards for motor vehicles and directly incentivizing state-level seatbelt and child car seat laws. These regulations are arguably some of the most prized public health accomplishments of the 20th century. They have greatly reduced the direct burdens of transportation on our population’s health. But are they enough? Do we Americans really think that 30K deaths per year are an acceptable cost for us to travel from point A to point B? Apparently so, as most of us Americans label motor vehicle crashes as “accidents”. In fact, some of our largest and most popular media outlets label motor vehicle crashes as accidents. In 2016 alone, NPR, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and CNN (just to name a few) have wrongly referred to transportation crashes as “accidents”. When we talk about motor vehicle crashes and call them “accidents”, it semantically implies that our society accepts these deaths and their costs as “sh*t happens”. The word ‘accident’ itself implies that nothing could have been done to prevent it; that it would happen no matter what preventative measures were initially in place. Furthermore, it implies that our society accepts its consequences that negatively affect our health. However, this is simply not the case - it shouldn’t be the case. So, how does a public health professional advocate for a safer and more equitable transportation system? I have three key pieces of advice: 1) They’re not accidents, they’re motor vehicle crashes. Don’t hesitate to correct anyone and everyone when they falsely use that A-word. 2) Get woke, stay woke, and get others to wake up. Do your research. Click on any of the references I listed above and educate yourself, and don't be afraid to spread the word. If you’re really passionate, educate yourself on what our European friends have done to make their transportation systems safer and more equitable. 3) If you drive a motor vehicle, especially in an urban setting, please be aware of the privilege you have. Look out for the most vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) and don’t forget to share the road. Safe travels! Leave a Reply. |
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March 2017
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