Abstract
The causes of the relative low life expectancy for Americans are discussed. Besides overconsumption of food and drink, the demanding and competitive life-style, high homicides rate, high on-the-job accidents rate, high infant mortality rate, and the lack of proper medical care for the poor, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death of American children, teenagers and young adults and the third highest cause of death among people aged 25 to 44. Making seat belts obligatory, tough federal standards for the licensing of drivers, periodic driving tests and higher sentences for drunken drivers are seen as necessary to reduce the fatality rate.