Video: The fight to reduce auto hazards

BMSG's issue series

Video: The fight to reduce auto hazards

Friday, November 08, 2013

Automobiles are a major cause of injury and death, yet because they have long been a symbol of freedom and privacy in the United States, efforts to regulate them often meet resistance. Even basic protections like seat belts and airbags that we now take for granted were once contested. In this video as part of BMSG’s 20th anniversary series, Ben Kelley, director of injury control policy at the Trauma Foundation and the author of “Death by Rental Car: How the Houck Case Changed the Law,” discusses the evolution of auto industry regulation and changes in the public’s perception of and media reporting on the issue since the early 20th century.