Surviving a serious traffic crash can depend on care delivered before reaching the hospital. A National League of Cities article explores how communities are adopting prehospital blood transfusion, an intervention with battlefield roots, to help patients experiencing severe blood loss. By equipping paramedics to administer blood at the scene or during transport, these programs strengthen a critical part of traffic safety: post-crash care.

Examples from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Crawfordsville, Indiana, show how local leadership and partnerships can help bring this capability to communities of different sizes. For traffic safety professionals, the article offers a practical look at the funding, medical oversight, training and coordination needed to establish a program, with particular relevance where trauma care is far away. Read the full article to explore how your community could help close the gap between a crash and lifesaving treatment.