Report on Injuries in America
Unintentional-injury deaths were up 2% in 2006 compared to the revised 2005 estimate.
Unintentional-injury deaths were estimated to total 120,000 in 2006 and 118,000
in 2005. The 2006 estimate is 7% greater than the 2004 final count of 112,012. The
2006 estimate is 38% greater than the 1992 total of 86,777 (the lowest annual total
since 1924) and 3% greater the previous highest total of 116,385 deaths in 1969.
The death rate in 2006 was 40.1 per 100,000 population – 18% greater than the lowest
rate on record, which was 34.0 in 1992. The 2006 death rate was up 1% from the 2005
revised rate.
Comparing 2006 to 2005, motor-vehicle deaths decreased while home and public deaths
increased. Work deaths were virtually unchanged. The population death rate in the
motor-vehicle class declined and the rates increased in the home and public classes.
The motor-vehicle death total was down 2% in 2006. The motor-vehicle death rate
per 100,000,000 vehicle-miles was 1.49 in 2006, down 2% from the revised 2005 rate
(1.52) and from the revised 2004 rate which was also 1.52.
According to the latest final data (2004), unintentional injuries continued to be
the fifth leading cause of death, exceeded only by heart disease, cancer, stroke,
and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Preliminary death certificate data for 2005
indicate that unintentional injuries will remain in fifth place.
Nonfatal injuries also affect millions of Americans. In 2005, 33.2 million people
– about 1 out of 9 – sought medical attention for an injury and 2.8 million people
were hospitalized for injuries. About 28.4 million were treated in hospital emergency
departments and about 5.4 million visits to hospital outpatient departments were
for unintentional injuries. About 40.9 million visits to physicians' offices were
for unintentional injuries.
The economic impact of these fatal and nonfatal unintentional injuries amounted
to $652.1 billion in 2006. This is equivalent to about $2,200 per capita, or about
$5,700 per household. These are costs that every individual and household pays whether
directly out of pocket, through higher prices for goods and services, or through
higher taxes.
Between 1912 and 2006, unintentional-injury deaths per 100,000 population were reduced
49% (after adjusting for the classification change in 1948) from 82.4 to 40.1. The
reduction in the overall rate during a period when the nation's population tripled
has resulted in 5,200,000 fewer people being killed due to unintentional injuries
than there would have been if the rate had not been reduced.
ALL UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES, 2006
|
Class
|
Deaths
|
Change
from 2004
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
Disabling
Injuries
|
Costs
(billions)
|
|
All Classes a
|
120,000
|
+2%
|
40.1
|
26,200,000
|
$652.1
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
44,700
|
-2%
|
14.9
|
2,400,000
|
$258.6
|
|
Public nonwork
|
42457
|
|
|
2,300,000
|
|
|
Work
|
2,043
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
Home
|
200
|
|
|
( ρ)
|
|
|
Work
|
4,988
|
0%
|
1.7
|
3,700,000
|
$164.7
|
|
Nonmotor-vehicle
|
2,945
|
|
|
3,600,000
|
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
2,043
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
Home
|
42,600
|
+5%
|
14.2
|
10,200,000
|
$150.1
|
|
Nonmotor-vehicle
|
42,400
|
|
|
10,200,000
|
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
200
|
|
|
( ρ)
|
|
|
Public
|
30,000
|
+2%
|
10.0
|
10,000,000
|
$101.8
|
Source: National Safety Council estimates (rounded) based on data from the National
Center for Health Statistics, state departments of health, and state traffic authorities,
except for the work figures which are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census
of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
ª Deaths, injuries, and costs for the four separate classes add to more than
the All Classes figures due to rounding and because some deaths and injuries are
included in more than one class. For example, 2,158 work deaths involved motor vehicles
and are in both the work and motor-vehicle totals and 200 motor-vehicle deaths occurred
on home premises and are in both home and motor-vehicle. The total of such duplication
amounted to about 2,243 deaths, 100,000 injuries, and $23.1 billion in costs in
2006.
ρ Less than 10,000.
Selected Measures of Unintentional Injuries, U.S., 2002-2006
Measure
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
|
Unintentional-injury deaths (NCHS) #
|
106,742
|
109,277
|
112,012
|
118,000
|
120,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
37.1
|
37.6
|
38.1
|
39.8
|
40.1
|
|
Disabling unintentional injuries
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
26,200,000
|
|
Costs to society of unintentional injuries ($billions)
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$652.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medically attended injury episodes
|
23,661,000
|
23,782,000
|
33,173,000^
|
33,202,000
|
33,256,000
|
|
Per 1,000 population
|
84.9
|
83.4
|
115.1 ^
|
114.0
|
113.2
|
|
Emergency department U-I visits
|
26,622,000
|
28,047,000
|
28,123,000
|
28,375,000
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Per 100 population
|
9.4
|
9.8
|
9.6
|
9.7
|
n/a
|
|
Motor-vehicle total deaths (1-year rule) #
|
45,380
|
44,757
|
44,933
|
45,500
|
44,700
|
|
Deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles #
|
1.59
|
1.55
|
1.52
|
1.52
|
1.49
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population #
|
15.8
|
15.4
|
15.3
|
15.4
|
14.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NHTSA MV traffic deaths (30-day rule)
|
43,005
|
42,884
|
42,836
|
43,443
|
42,624
|
|
Deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles
|
1.51
|
1.48
|
1.44
|
1.46
|
1.42
|
|
NHTSA MV traffic injuries
|
2,926,000
|
2,889,000
|
2,788,000
|
2,699,000
|
2,575,000
|
|
Injuries per 100 million vehicle-miles
|
102
|
100
|
94
|
90
|
86
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries total deaths
|
5,524
|
5,575
|
5,764
|
5,734
|
5,703*
|
|
Per 100,000 workers
|
4
|
4
|
4.1
|
4.0
|
3.9*
|
|
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries U-I deaths
|
4,726
|
4,725
|
4,995
|
4,984
|
4,988*
|
|
Per 100,000 workers
|
3.4
|
3.4
|
3.6
|
3.5
|
3.4*
|
|
Private industry total recordable cases @
|
4,700,600
|
4,365,200
|
4,257,300
|
4,214,200
|
4,085,400
|
|
Per 200,000 hours
|
5.3
|
5
|
4.8
|
4.6
|
4.4
|
|
Private industry cases with days away from work @
|
1,436,200
|
1,315,900
|
1,259,300
|
1,234,700
|
1,183,500
|
|
Per 200,000 hours
|
1.6
|
1.5
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-the-job deaths†
|
44,700
|
42,300
|
44,100
|
49,300
|
53,200
|
|
Per 200,000 OTJ hours
|
0.017
|
0.016
|
0.016
|
0.018
|
0.019
|
|
Off-the-job disabling injuries†
|
7,100,000
|
6,500,000
|
6,800,000
|
8,200,000
|
9,400,000
|
|
Per 200,000 OTJ hours
|
2.7
|
2.4
|
2.5
|
3.0
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Population
|
287,941,220
|
290,788,976
|
293,655,404
|
296,410,404
|
299,398,484
|
|
Workers
|
137,731,000
|
139,988,000
|
140,504,000
|
142,946,000
|
145,607,000
|
|
Vehicle-miles travel (millions)
|
2,855,508
|
2,890,450
|
2,962,491
|
2,989,772
|
2,995,259
|
Source: National Safety Council, Injury Facts®, 2008 Edition,
and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of the Census, Federal Highway Administration,
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA).
Note: n/a means not available. Dashes (---) indicate data omitted.
*Preliminary.
^Due to changes in the injury and poisoning section of the National Health Interview
Survey, imputation of unknown dates of injury and poisoning episodes, and the use
of a 5-week period rather than a 3-month recall period to calculate annualized estimates,
estimates for 2004 are not comparable to estimates from prior years.
#2002-2004 from NCHS; 2005-2006 NSC estimates. Motor-Vehicle total Includes
both traffic and nontraffic deaths.
@Record keeping and survey changes may affect comparisons from year to year.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimates cover private sector
employers (about 78% of all workers).
†Includes deaths and injuries of workers when they are not working.
Selected Measures of Unintentional Injuries, U.S., 2002-2006, Continued
|
Measure
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
|
Total Unintentional-Injury Deaths
|
106,742
|
109,277
|
112,012
|
118,000
|
120,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
37.1
|
37.6
|
38.1
|
39.8
|
40.1
|
By Venue or Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Motor-Vehicle
|
45,380
|
44,757
|
44,933
|
45,500
|
44,700
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
15.8
|
15.4
|
15.3
|
15.3
|
14.9
|
|
Work
|
4,726
|
4,725
|
5,000
|
4,986
|
4,988
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
1.6
|
1.6
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
|
Home & Community
|
58,900
|
62,000
|
64,400
|
70,000
|
72,600
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
20.4
|
21.3
|
21.9
|
23.6
|
24.2
|
|
Home
|
36,400
|
38,800
|
41,700
|
40,600
|
42,600
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
12.6
|
13.3
|
14.2
|
13.7
|
14.2
|
|
Public
|
22,500
|
23,200
|
22,700
|
29,400
|
30,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
7.8
|
8.0
|
7.7
|
9.9
|
10.0
|
|
