The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Center for Statistics and Analysis has released its Traffic Safety Facts 2008, which is a compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System.

• In 2008, 37,261 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes — a decrease of 10 percent from 2007 (41,259).
• The fatality rate per 100 million VMT in 2008 was 1.27. The injury rate per 100 million VMT in 2008 was 80. The fatality rate per 100,000 population was 12.25 in 2008, a decrease of 10 percent from the 2007 rate of 13.68.
• An average of 102 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes in 2008 — one every 14 minutes.
• In 2006, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for every age from 3 through 34. 
• In 2008, 37,261 people were killed in the estimated 5,811,000 police-reported motor vehicle traffc crashes, 2,346,000 people were injured, and 4,146,000 crashes involved property damage only.

Over 37,000 people killed and over 2 million injured in over 4 million crashes in 2008. As a society, we just accept it. But the numbers are huge. Think about the most significant recent events in which we lost American lives -- Harbor, 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan. They pale in comparison.

The good news is that number number of crash-related deaths is decreasing, but 37,000 is still to high.

I have always felt that from a society's perspect, crash-related deaths are not the most significant statistic. Rather, the injured are. A death is painful to the families, but it is mostly immediate. Insurance plans for and covers the costs and payouts. Crash-related injuries are more difficult to assess. Some injuries are minor but other are life-changing.

The costs associated with rehabilitation, sometimes years, can be enormous. Permanent disabilities take people out of their normal productivity and potential. Crash-related injuries have a far greater impact on society that do crash-related deaths.

The car companies have done a great job at making cars safer -- seat beats, air bags, overall car design for impacts. Laws have helped make drivers safer -- seat belts, cell phones, texting, alcohol/drug driving. There is still a long way to go.

They all help but it is up to each one of us to take driving more serious than we currently do. Individual responsibility is the key, despite all of the government mandates and product design improvements.