Relationship Between Smoking and Motor Vehicle Death Rates in the U.S.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. Further, cigarette smoking is associated with negative health and work outcomes. However, scant research on data for the United States has analyzed the association between cigarette smoking rates and motor vehicle death rates. This study fills that void. It estimates the association via ordinary least squares regression on annual state-level data for 2011–2019, controlling for other known factors related to motor vehicle death rates and accounting for year and region fixed effects. Results indicate that the cigarette smoking rates of a state’s population are significantly and directly related to the motor vehicle fatality rates in that state. Further, interaction results indicate that alcohol consumption’s positive association with motor vehicle fatalities is highest in states with more smokers. The findings suggest that smokers may be more likely to die in motor vehicle crashes than non-smokers, and that driver safety programs targeting smokers warrant funding.