Every day, 115 people die in motor vehicle crashes. That is one person killed every 12 minutes. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 4 and 33 years.

You can reduce this tragic toll by following these safety guidelines developed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

• Wear safety belts
• Don't drink and drive
• Obey traffic safety rules
• Drive defensively
• Keep your vehicle in good mechanical condition

Twenty-nine percent of all U.S. drivers do not use safety belts. Thirty-nine percent of the occupants of passenger cars involved in fatal crashes in 2001 did not wear seat belts. Also, 44 percent of occupants of light trucks involved in fatal crashes were unrestrained. Safety belts saved more than 12,000 lives in 2001.

Safety belts are very effective in preventing the occupant from being ejected from a vehicle. In fatal crashes, 75 percent of passenger car occupants who were totally ejected were killed. Only 1 percent of the occupants in fatal crashes who were wearing safety belts were totally ejected from the vehicle.

Alcohol was involved in 41 percent of fatal crashes. Alcohol-related crashes kill more than 17,000 people each year. That's an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 30 minutes. About three of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash sometime in their lives.