If you were required to wear a safety helmet how much would that save? If people ate healthier how much would that save? If people didn't live so long how much would that save?
I have little or no doubt that we could dream up all kinds of ways to reduce death, injury, and lost productivity resulting in savings of countless billions.
All it would cost is some personal freedom. But before we go that route, I can think of a whole bunch of other ways to save countless billions and I already know where I can find the first $400 million.
"If you were required to wear a safety helmet how much would that save?"Medical services due to preventable injuries cost Americans billions of dollars every year. Three major causes of preventable injuries are automobile crashes, bicycle crashes and other sports activities. Taking steps to reduce both the risk and severity of these kinds of injuries is a key factor in reducing overall health care costs.
Key facts, national statistics
- · Each year in the United States, more than 500,000 people are nonfatally injured while riding bicycles. An estimated 140,000 children are treated each year in emergency departments for head injuries sustained while bicycling. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Injury Fact Book,” 2001.)
- · Annual costs associated with bicycle-related head injury or death are estimated to exceed $3 billion. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National Bicycle Safety Network,” 1999.)
- · The failure of auto crash victims to wear seat belts in 2000 leads to an estimated 9,200 unnecessary fatalities and 143,000 needless injuries, resulting in $26 billion in health care and other costs. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Economic Impact of U.S. Motor Vehicle Crashes,” 2000.)
- · Use of seat belts saves an average of $50 billion per year. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Economic Impact of U.S. Motor Vehicle Crashes,” 2002.)
- · Sports-related injuries in children and young adults caused 2.6 million visits to the nation’s hospital emergency departments, costing about $500 million between 1997 and 1998. (National Center for Health Statistics, “National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey,” 1997 and 1998)
- · Medical and non-medical costs per traumatic brain injury survivor average $151,587. (The National Foundation for Brain Research, “The Cost of Disorders of the Brain,” 1992.)
- · In the event of a crash, wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the risk of serious head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent. In fact, if each rider wore a helmet, an estimated 500 bicycle-related fatalities and 151,000 nonfatal head injuries would be prevented each year. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National Bicycle Safety Network,” 1999.)
The simple act of buckling a safety belt can improve your chances of surviving an automobile crash by as much as 73 percent and can significantly decrease your risk of serious injury. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Economic Impact of U.S. Motor Vehicle Crashes,” 2002.)
http://www.bcbstx.com/pdf/hccc/8710_689_503.doc