Motor vehicle transportation is the primary means of transportation in the United States, providing an unprecedented degree of mobility for people. It does not, however, come without cost, in terms of lives lost, drivers and passengers injured and/or property destroyed. Deaths and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons of every age from 5 to 29 years old.

Auto accidents happen every day -- in fact, every few seconds. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 1998, there were an estimated 6,334,000 police-reported traffic crashes, in which 41,471 people were killed and 3,192,000 people were injured; 4,269,000 crashes involved property damage only. It is, therefore, important to be prepared, know the laws and always to wear your seatbelt.

Are you prepared? Would you know what protocol to follow should you be sitting at a stoplight and suddenly be tapped from behind? Whether or not damage appears to be extensive, you always must call the police and obtain a written report of the accident -- just in case. Because drivers may not carry car insurance, because repairs are much more costly than ever before, and just because it protects you, whether you're at fault or not.

Some automobiles today are equipped with a system that automatically links them to a 24-hour emergency and assistance center, such as GM's OnStar system. As yet, however, most vehicles don't come equipped this way. All the more reason to be prepared for what seems almost to be the inevitable: an automobile accident.

If you're involved in an accident, you are required by law to stop. If you leave the scene, penalties can be severe. According to the Illinois state police, the proper steps to follow when in an accident include the following:

• Protect the scene. Often, more serious injuries are sustained in a second collision than during the first. Ask bystanders to warn oncoming traffic.
• Send for aid. Notify the police and request an ambulance, if needed. This is when a cell phone comes in handy.
• Render aid to the injured. In some states -- Illinois is one of them -- drivers are obligated to aid the injured: provide a blanket, talk to help calm passengers, etc.
• Immediately notify the police. Any driver involved in an accident, which causes injury, death or property damage in excess of $250, immediately should notify the nearest police agency.
• Direct traffic. Take reasonable steps to let other motorists know of the hazards. Keep traffic lanes open for the police and ambulances.
• Exchange information. It is your duty to provide the other parties to the accident with your name, address and phone number, the name of your insurance company and agent, and the registration number of your car. Take the same information from the other driver involved.
• And remember, there is little to gain by attempting to settle who or what was the cause of the accident, while still at the scene.

Fortunately, much progress has been made in reducing the number of traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on the nation's highways. In fact, in 1998, according to the NHTSA, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicles' miles of travel remained at its historic low of 1.6 percent. This is an indicator that traffic laws, and drivers, are beginning to improve. Still, it pays to have your wits about you, and as the slogan goes: "Drive Defensively."