In the 21st century, injury control specialists – along with those in almost every other discipline – would do well to keep an eye on China. The development of injury prevention as an academic and political entity in that country could do more to reduce the global burden of injury than any other single advancement we can envision.

Domestically, China represents a huge and underserved market for injury control policy and programming. With 1.4 billion people and an economy that will soon become the world's largest, it is self-evident that successful injury control in China will have a significant effect on global totals. The global burden of road traffic injury, in particular, will be impacted by the Chinese experience. Investments in transportation infrastructure have been an engine of economic development in China, with a national highway …