WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Feb. 26, 2009 -- Driving may
be more dangerous in the South than any other place in the
country, the CDC says. In 2005, the latest year for which
statistics are available, 45,520 deaths in the U.S. were related
to motor vehicles, according to the CDC. The Northeast had the
lowest average annual rate of motor vehicle-related fatalities,
9.8 per 100,000 people in the period 1999 to 2005. The rate in
the South was almost twice that, at 19.5. Age, gender, and race
also played a factor in motor vehicle-related fatalities,
according to the Feb. 27 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly The
average annual death rate for young people was 26.8 per 100,000
for people between ages 15 and 24; that’s 74% higher than the
overall rate of The average annual death rate for men was more
than double that for women, 21.7 vs. 9.4 per 100,000 people. The
rate for American Indians/Alaska Natives was 27.2, nearly twice
the 15.7 rate for whites and the 15.2 rate for The CDC analysis
says 46% of the motor v