Final answer:
The statement is false as traffic crashes in the United States cause far more than 5,000 fatalities each year; data from various years show numbers well above 5,000.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that each year traffic crashes in our country cause less than 5,000 fatalities is false. As per data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other records, the number of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States has always been well above 5,000 per year. For example, even as far back as 2004, there were 38,444 fatal motor vehicle crashes, and this number has never dropped so low as to be below 5,000 annually. In a different context, such as evaluating driver error as a cause of these accidents, it's noted that driver error is responsible for about 54 percent of all fatal auto accidents. So it's important to understand the traffic safety statistics accurately for various research and policy-making purposes.