Publisher's Synopsis
"According to national highway safety statistics, a disproportionate number of motor vehicle crashes occur in rural areas. About 40% of vehicle-miles traveled occur on rural roads; however, these rural trips account for 54% of all traffic fatalities. In 2010, a total of 18,026 lives were lost in crashes on rural roadways. Several factors contribute to these higher injury and fatality rates, including that rural crashes are more likely to involve higher vehicle speeds, a lower rate of seat belt use, and less availability of timely emergency medical care. Rural crashes present unique challenges for emergency medical service (EMS) systems. Compared with urban areas, a greater percentage of rural crashes result in multiple fatalities and higher rates of head-on collisions, roll overs, and ejected crash occupants. In addition, rural EMS systems often rely on a volunteer force, and tend to have less financial resources for staffing, equipmen
