Statistics just released show a precipitous drop off in the number of automobile deaths annually—a fact that is due in no small part to microelectronics, enabled  by MCUs, DSPs, FPGAs, etc, for active safety and driver assistance systems, along with increased seat belt use.

In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says less than 34,000 people where killed on U.S. roads, a significant reduction from the 40-45,000 usually dying in traffic accidents. And the total of fatalities and serious injuries is the lowest in 49 years, despite doubling the number of drivers and quadrupling the number of vehicle miles logged annually over that same period.