Texas Gets a ‘D' in Safety Report, Ranking the State 26th in the Nation

WASHINGTON — What's the safest state?According to a National Safety Council report released Tuesday, it's not Texas. In fact, the first of its kind report placed Texas as the 26th safest state out of 50 states and the District of Columbia.The report ranked states on 62 safety indicators, which were assigned a weight based on their effectiveness at preventing death and injury.Texas had only 48 percent of these safety indicators for an overall grade of D. No state reached the 70 percent benchmark to receive an A, although Maryland -- the report's "safest state" -- came close, meeting 69 percent of the indicators.Indicators included state requirements, such as for licensing and manufacturing, preventive and regulatory legislation and state programs."Rather than grading states on lagging indicators, such as fatality numbers, the report is focused on leading indicators, which states can control through regulations and legislation," council president Deborah Hersman said.The report ranked the states in three categories, each with subcategories: road safety, home and community safety, and workplace safety. If most to all indicators in a subcategory were present, it was termed "on track"; if only some were, it was labeled "developing"; and if few to no indicators were present, it was marked "off track."Home and community safetyTexas performed best in the category of home and community safety, where it was ranked 15th in the nation and received a grade of C.State policies regarding the subcategories of older adult falls and youth sports-related concussions were marked "on track," while regulations related to drownings, home fires, and poisonings -- by opioids and other drugs -- were termed "off track." The state's policies on firearms were labeled as "developing."Related: There are no simple answers to the biggest threat to the future of high school footballRoad safetyIn the road safety category, Texas was ranked 29th and received another C. According to the report, state policies are "on track" for alcohol-impaired driving, older drivers and seat belts. They are "off track" for child passengers, speeding, teen drivers and vulnerable road users, which includes motorcyclists and bikers. Policies on distracted driving -- one of the primary causes of road fatalities -- are "developing."  Continue reading...