According to a new survey although most Americans say they want to donate their organs only 38% of licensed drivers are registered as organ donors.

Results of an online survey of 5,100 U. S. adults conducted in February by Astellas Pharma US and Donate Life America showed that almost 72 % of Americans said they wanted to donate their organs after death even if their family disagreed. Donate Life America Chair Sara Pace Jones said despite this the numbers of registered donors through the DMV or state donor registries was far less.

 "The number of people awaiting organ transplants has climbed to more than 100,000 and an average of 18 people die each day waiting for available organs," Pace Jones said. "It is more important than ever for those who support donation to legally document those wishes."

The survey found that there were misperceptions about organ donation and registration and many people still harbor fears about what organ donation really means. Almost 23 % of the people who said they were undecided about organ donation, reluctant or did not wish to donate were unsure if they would be an acceptable donor as they thought they were not healthy enough or too old to donate their organs.

Of the respondents 50 % felt if they were known to be an organ donor then doctors would not try as hard to save them and 44 % believe there is a black market for organ and tissue sale and purchase. There were 57% who questioned if a brain dead person could recover.

"There is a real crisis taking place with regards to organ availability in this country, and dispelling commonly held misperceptions and increasing the public's trust of the donation and transplant system is paramount when it comes to solving it," said Pace Jones.

Pace Jones said some misconceptions about organ donation could partly be due to inaccurate media portrayals of the process.

"Some fears are perpetuated by dramatic television shows that, because they have to tell a complete story in an hour or less, don't have time to show the accurate and entire process of donation," Ms. Pace Jones said. "Many times I have seen a story unfold where the same physician treats the patient when admitted to the hospital, takes them to surgery, pronounces the patient dead, accesses the transplant list and does the organ recovery and transplant. But this is not how the donation process happens. The doctor who is trying to save the life of the injured patient is not the same doctor who recovers organs for transplantation."

Dispelling the misconceptions and helping people understand exactly how the process of organ donation works is the first step toward alleviating fears that people have. She added many people don't realize that the organizations that check donor and patient registries and coordinate donations are separate from the hospital where a patient is treated.

"People are reassured that everything will be done to save their lives after an accident when they understand that the doctors who treat them have nothing to do with the transplantation process," she said.

In an attempt to make it easier for users to register as donors Donate Life America is launching a page on Facebook as well