Franklin Zimring writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, April 21, 2013
Ours is now a republic of seat belts, air bags, padded steering wheels, interstate highways, tough and high-priority drunk-driving enforcement and traffic safety legislation. But behind all of this was the game-changing creation of government efforts to make cars, drivers and roads less dangerous. It is probable that the cumulative impact of all these changes has saved more than 1 million lives just in the 11 years after the turn of the century. A government program that has saved more than a million lives in just 11 years? Why is this one of the best-kept secrets of modern life?