Report on Injuries in America

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The Problem
Overall Unintentional – injury deaths, 1998

Number of deaths — 92,200
The highest death total was 116,385 in 1969 and the lowest recent death total was 86,777 in 1992 (lowest since 1924).
In the 10-year period since 1988, the number of deaths decreased 5% from 97,100.
A fatal injury occurs every 6 minutes and a disabling injury occurs every 2 seconds.
Wage losses, medical expenses, property damages, employer costs, fire losses and other expenses related to unintentional injuries and fatalities cost Americans an estimated $480.5 billion in 1998. That’s equal to 59 cents of every dollar spent on food in the U.S. in 1998.
Viewed by Cause of Death

The leading causes of fatal unintentional injuries in 1998 are the same top five since 1970 and they account for 80% of all deaths (74,000 of the 92,200).

Unintentional-Injury Deaths by Event, United States, 1998

Motor vehicle 41,200
Falls 16,600
Poisoning* 8,400
Drowning 4,100
Fires and burns 3,700

* Includes solid and liquid poisonings only.

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Deaths and Injuries on the Road

There is a death caused by a motor vehicle crash every 13 minutes and a disabling injury every 14 seconds.
Motor vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 29.
The age groups most affected by motor vehicle crashes are 15-24 and 75+.
There were an estimated 5,900 pedestrian deaths and 84,000 injuries. Pedestrians crossed or entered the roadway between intersections in close to 30% of these deaths and injuries.
About 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident at some time in their lives.
Bicycling resulted in about 700 deaths in collisions with motor-vehicles.
Death Trends

The number of motor vehicle-related deaths decreased 3% from 1997 to 1998. The second consecutive decrease following four years of increases.
The 1998 mileage death rate of 1.57 decreased another 5% from 1997, making it the lowest ever recorded. (Mileage death rate: the number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven.)
From 1987 to 1997 intoxication rates decreased for drivers of all age groups. The greatest decrease was for 16- to 20-year-old drivers. An estimated 17,359 lives have been saved by 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws since 1975. All states and the District of Columbia now have such laws.
Since the repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit effective December 8, 1995 several states have increased their speed limits to 70 m.p.h. or more. There has been an estimated 6% increase in total occupant fatalities associated with the recent speed limit increases.
Recommendations to reduce motor vehicle deaths and injuries:

Stronger safety belt laws nationwide — safety belt laws currently allow for primary enforcement in only a limited number of states plus the District of Columbia. Currently, seat belt laws are the only statutes that are relegated to secondary enforcement.

Parents and care-givers restrain children in properly installed, age-appropriate safety seats. Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 69% for infants less than 1 year old and by 47% for children 1-4 years old.

Every state should enact graduated licensing laws. Graduated licensing laws allow all novice drivers to gain critical experience behind the wheel in lower risk settings before driving in more difficult environments. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. Among these 16 year old drivers have 3 times higher crash risk than 18 year olds, and 7 times higher crash risk than 25 year olds.

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Deaths and Injuries in the Workplace

There were 5,100 workplace fatalities in 1998 due to unintentional injuries. Approximately an additional 1,200 deaths in the workplace are due to homicides and suicides each year.
At work, there is a fatal injury every 103 minutes and a disabling injury every 8 seconds.
In 1998, 3.8 million American workers suffered from disabling injuries on the job.
The four leading fatal events and exposures are highway traffic incidents, homicide, falls to a lower level, and being struck by an object.
For women workers, homicides were the leading cause of workplace injury deaths.
The agriculture industry accounted for 780 deaths and 140,000 disabling injuries in 1998. Agriculture workers had the second highest death rate among the major industry divisions.
Work injuries cost Americans $125.1 billion in 1998 — that’s equivalent to nearly triple the combined profits reported by the top 5 fortune 500 companies in 1998.
Recommendations to reduce workplace deaths and injuries:

With the increase in federal spending for highway construction projects, the Council recommends increased efforts for construction zone safety on both sides of the barricades.

Every company or organization should have a strict safety belt policy that requires all employees to buckle up on the job.

All workplaces should operate with a comprehensive safety and health plan and address security issues that can prevent workplace violence.

Greater efforts are needed to increase awareness of safe practices on the farm, in particular to reduce the injuries and deaths to children.

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Deaths and Injuries in the Home

28,200 fatalities and 6,800,000 disabling injuries in 1998.
In the home, there is a fatal injury every 19 minutes and a disabling injury every 5 seconds.
The four leading fatal events are falls, solid and liquid poisonings, fires and burns, and suffocation by ingested object.
The leading cause of death in the home, falls, took the lives of 10,700 people in 1998 up from 9,800 in 1996 — a 9 percent increase. More than 86 percent of these people are 65 years old or older.
Smoke inhalation accounts for the majority of deaths in home fires.
Recommendations to reduce deaths and injuries in the home:

Take steps to reduce the risk of falls in homes especially in homes where older people live or visit.

Prepare in case of a home fire by installing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Check smoke detector batteries regularly and develop a fire escape plan.

Adults should take steps to eliminate potential hazards, such as the risk of choking and the presence of radon or carbon monoxide.

Parents and caretakers should ensure that their children live in a lead-free environment.

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Deaths and Injuries in the Community

20,000 fatalities in 1998
Includes deaths in public places or places used in a public way and not involving motor vehicles. Most sports, recreation, and transportation deaths are included. This number excludes work-related deaths.

There is a public fatal injury every 26 minutes and a disabling injury every 5 seconds.
The number of public unintentional-injury deaths increased by 500, or 3%, between 1997 and 1998.
The five leading fatal causes are falls, drowning, water, air and railroad transportation.
People over 65 years of age suffer from half of the fatalities due to public injuries.
Recreational boating resulted in 821 deaths in 1997 up from 709 deaths in 1996, according to data compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard.
72% (588) of all boating fatalities in 1997 were due to drowning and of those, 89% (523) of the victims were not wearing personal flotation devices.
Recommendations to reduce deaths and injuries in the community:

Making community walkable by providing residents access to safe walking areas. In particular, children should have safe walking routes to school.

Increase initiatives to address recreational safety — injuries while boating, biking, in-line skating or participating in other recreational sports can be reduced with increased consumer education.

Finally, the Council recommends that all adults should learn CPR and first aid techniques to give assistance if an injury does occur.