Protecting the Public

If Congress passes a Federal law mandating that all motorcycle riders wear helmets, is this law a necessary step in saving lives? Or is it a violation of constitutional rights? How can we prevent injury without violating these rights? Injury is a leading cause of death in America today. This book focuses on our greatest tool in the fight to prevent injury: the law. Some injury prevention laws, such as highway speed limits, have existed for years and are well accepted. But many newer laws, such gun control laws or laws requiring seatbelt use, are more controversial. The legal validity and effectiveness of injury prevention laws have never been presented and analysed in one readily accessible and readable sourcebook. Protecting the Public: Legal Issues in Injury Prevention explores the extent and limits of governmental authority to prevent injury, discuses the legal challenges often directed against injury prevention laws, and reveiws the effectiveness of such laws. It will be indispensable not only to lawyers, but also to health professionals, public health administrators, legislative and policy experts, and community activists, as well as anyone else concerned with legal matters.

Law plays a major role in injury prevention. This text will provide non-lawyers with an understanding of the legal concepts underlying injury prevention law. The book is divided into four main sections: the legal validity of injury prevention laws, private litigation, the effectiveness of injury prevention laws, and public policy issues.