The design of a vehicle, its construction and equipment can all contribute to the level of safety in any particular motor vehicle. There have been numerous safety and technological advancements in the past two decades that have been a factor in both lowering the occurrence and especially, the consequences involved in the aftermath of an automobile collision.

 

Where vehicle safety has been a primary aim, mostly in developed or first world countries, improvements in auto design and roadway developments have led to gradually decreased injury and death rates. Nevertheless, automobile accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths.

 

Furthermore, despite the reduction in injury and death related to advancements in auto design and roadway construction, rising population means more vehicles on the road, which is positively correlated with a higher number of accidents or collisions.

 

Automobile safety has been a concern since the production of the first cars. The United States Department of Transportation, in fact, was created with the improvement of automobiles safety as one of its chief purposes. As compared to the rest of the world, however, the United States still maintains one of the highest motor vehicle related fatality numbers in the world. The reasons for this are complex; however, the number of drivers and vehicles on the road, as well as the types of vehicles in the United States can explain some of the discrepancy in fatality numbers.