John D. States

John Dunham States (16 June 1925 – 26 March 2015) was an American orthopedic surgeon who dedicated his career to improving automotive safety.

Early life
Born in Rochester, New York, States was a graduate of the University of Rochester, and received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. In his early life, he was a precocious engineer. He had built toy cars at the age of six, and drove in a vehicle he made himself by the time he reached high school. States had wanted to be an engineer, but his father convinced him to be a doctor instead.

In 1952, he moved to Texas, serving in the U.S. Air Force's medical corps as a captain. He was a professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Rochester from 1976 to 1990.

Career
His interest in automotive safety began when he served as race physician for the Watkins Glen International Speedway. As race physician, he learned the risks to the driver of being thrown from the car and the protection afforded by seat belts.

In 1966, he developed the first set of automobile safety standards. In 1970, he developed an improved shoulder harness to restrain the upper body and prevent injuries that occur when the occupant hits the dashboard or windshield.

States drafted the New York State seat belt law in 1983, the first such law in the US. Similar laws have now been adopted in 49 states, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration credits these laws with dramatically increasing seat belt use and decreasing injuries and fatalities from traffic accidents.

Recognition
States received the Distinguished Career Award from the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association in 2000, the Excalibur Award from the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council and was cited for his work on public safety by Governor Mario Cuomo. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He served as a member of the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council and chaired the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Medical Advisory Board. He was also a visiting scientist at the Centers for Disease Control.

He was the author of 83 scientific publications and held a patent for an improved seat belt latch.

Death
States died in Rochester in 2015, aged 89. He had had two sons and two daughters.