Report on Injuries in America
Unintentional-injury deaths were down 0.4% in 2007 compared to the revised 2006 estimate.
Unintentional-injury deaths were estimated to total 120,000 in 2007 and 120,500 in 2006.
The 2007 estimate is 2% greater than the 2005 final count of 117,809. The 2007 estimate is 38%
greater than the 1992 total of 86,777 (the lowest annual total since 1924).
The death rate in 2007 was 39.8 per 100,000 population – 17% greater than the lowest rate on
record, which was 34.0 in 1992. The 2007 death rate was up 1% from the 2006 revised rate.
Comparing 2007 to 2006, motor-vehicle, work, and home deaths decreased while public deaths
increased. The population death rates in the motor-vehicle, work, and home classes declined
while the rate increased in the home class.
The motor-vehicle death total was down 3% in 2007. The motor-vehicle death rate per 100,000,000
vehicle-miles was 1.44 in 2007, down nearly 3% from the revised 2006 rate (1.48) and down 5% from
the revised 2005 rate which was 1.52.
According to the latest final data (2005), unintentional injuries continued to be the fifth
leading cause of death, exceeded only by heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower
respiratory diseases.
Nonfatal injuries also affect millions of Americans. In 2006, 33.3 million people – about 1 out
of 9 – sought medical attention for an injury and 3 million people were hospitalized for injuries.
Unintentional injuries accounted for about 27.6 million hospital emergency department visits and 6.4
million hospital outpatient departments visits.
The economic impact of these fatal and nonfatal unintentional injuries amounted to $684.4 billion in 2007.
This is equivalent to about $2,300 per capita. 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 2007, unintentional-injury deaths per 100,000 population were reduced 49%
(after adjusting for the classification change in 1948) from 82.4 to 39.8. The reduction in the
overall rate during a period when the nation's population tripled has resulted in 5,300,000 fewer
people being killed due to unintentional injuries than there would have been if the rate had not been
reduced.
ALL UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES, 2007
|
Class
|
Deaths
|
Change
from 2006
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
Disabling
Injuriesc
|
Costs
(billions)
|
|
All Classes a
|
120,000
|
-0.4%
|
39.8
|
26,300,000
|
$684.4
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
43,100
|
-3% 14.3
|
2,300,000
|
2,400,000
|
$257.7
|
|
Public nonwork
|
40,955
|
|
|
2,200,000
|
|
|
Work
|
1,945
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
Home
|
200
|
|
|
( ρ)
|
|
|
Work
|
4,689
|
-8%
|
1.6
|
3,500,000
|
$175.3
|
|
Nonmotor-vehicle
|
2,744
|
|
|
3,400,000
|
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
1,945
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
Home
|
43,500
|
-11%
|
14.4
|
10,400,000
|
$164.7
|
|
Nonmotor-vehicle
|
43,300
|
|
|
10,400,000
|
|
|
Motor-vehicle
|
200
|
|
|
( ρ)
|
|
|
Public
|
30,500
|
+26%
|
10.1
|
10,200,000
|
$108.3
|
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, 1,945 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 2,145 deaths,
100,000 injuries, and $21.6 billion in costs in 2007.
bLess than 10,000.
cDisabling beyond the day of injury.
Disabling injuries are not reported on a national basis, so the totals shown are approximations
based on ratios of disabling injuries to deaths developed by the National Safety Council.
The totals are the best estimates for the current year. They should not, however, be compared
with totals shown in previous editions to indicate year-to-year changes or trends.
Note: The change in classification systems from ICD-9 to ICD-10 in 1999 affects trends,
especially for falls.
Selected Measures of Unintentional Injuries, U.S., 2003-2007
Measure
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
20067
|
|
Unintentional-injury deaths (NCHS) #
|
109,277
|
112,012
|
117,809
|
120,500
|
120,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
37.6
|
38.1
|
39.7
|
40.3
|
39.8
|
|
Disabling unintentional injuries
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
26,300,000
|
|
Costs to society of unintentional injuries ($billions)
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$684.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medically consulted injury episodes
|
23,782,000
|
33,173,000^
|
33,202,000
|
33,256,000
|
34,346,000
|
|
Per 1,000 population
|
83.4
|
115.1^
|
114.0
|
113.2
|
113.9
|
|
Emergency department U-I visits
|
28,047,000
|
28,123,000
|
28,375,000
|
27,653,000
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Per 100 population
|
9.6
|
9.6
|
9.6
|
9.2
|
n/a
|
|
Motor-vehicle total deaths (1-year rule) #
|
44,757
|
44,933
|
45,343
|
44,600
|
43,100
|
|
Deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles #
|
1.55
|
1.52
|
1.52
|
1.48
|
1.44
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population #
|
15.4
|
15.3
|
15.3
|
14.9
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NHTSA MV traffic deaths (30-day rule)
|
42,884
|
42,836
|
43,443
|
42,708
|
41,059
|
|
Deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles
|
1.48
|
1.44
|
1.46
|
1.42
|
1.37
|
|
NHTSA MV traffic injuries
|
2,889,000
|
2,788,000
|
2,699,000
|
2,575,000
|
2,491,000
|
|
Injuries per 100 million vehicle-miles
|
100
|
94
|
90
|
85
|
83
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries total deaths
|
5,575
|
5,764
|
5,734
|
5,840
|
5,488*
|
|
Per 100,000 workers
|
4
|
4.1
|
4.0
|
3.8
|
3.7*
|
|
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries U-I deaths
|
4,725
|
4,995
|
4,984
|
5,088
|
4,689*
|
|
Per 100,000 workers
|
3.4
|
3.6
|
3.5
|
3.5
|
3.2*
|
|
Private industry total recordable cases @
|
4,365,200
|
4,257,300
|
4,214,200
|
4,085,400
|
4,002,700
|
|
Per 200,000 hours
|
5
|
4.8
|
4.6
|
4.4
|
4.2
|
|
Private industry cases with days away from work @
|
1,315,900
|
1,259,300
|
1,234,700
|
1,183,500
|
1,158,900
|
|
Per 200,000 hours
|
1.5
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-the-job deaths†
|
42,300
|
44,100
|
49,300
|
53,200
|
52,500
|
|
Per 200,000 OTJ hours
|
0.016
|
0.016
|
0.018
|
0.019
|
0.019
|
|
Off-the-job disabling injuries†
|
6,500,000
|
6,800,000
|
8,200,000
|
9,400,000
|
9,400,000
|
|
Per 200,000 OTJ hours
|
2.4
|
2.5
|
3.0
|
3.4
|
3.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Population
|
290,789,000
|
293,655,000
|
296,507,000
|
299,398,000
|
301,621,000
|
|
Workers
|
139,988,000
|
140,504,000
|
142,946,000
|
145,607,000
|
147,203,000
|
|
Vehicle-miles travel (millions)
|
2,890,000
|
2,962,000
|
2,990,000
|
2,995,000
|
2,996,000
|
Source: National Safety Council, Injury Facts, 2009 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.
#2003-2005 from NCHS; 2006-2007 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., 2003-2007, Continued
|
Measure
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
|
Total Unintentional-Injury Deaths
|
109,277
|
112,012
|
117,809
|
120,500
|
120,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
37.6
|
38.1
|
39.7
|
40.3
|
39.8
|
By Venue or Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Motor-Vehicle
|
44,757
|
44,933
|
45,343
|
44,600
|
43,100
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
15.4
|
15.3
|
15.3
|
14.9
|
14.3
|
|
Work
|
4,725
|
5,000
|
4,987
|
5,092
|
4,689
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
1.6
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
|
Home & Community
|
62,000
|
64,400
|
69,600
|
73,100
|
74,00
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
21.3
|
21.9
|
23.5
|
24.5
|
24.5
|
|
Home
|
38,800
|
41,700
|
46,400
|
48,800
|
43,500
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
13.3
|
14.2
|
15.6
|
16.3
|
14.4
|
|
Public
|
23,200
|
22,700
|
23,400
|
24,300
|
30,500
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
8.0
|
7.7
|
7.9
|
8.1
|
10.1
|
By Type of Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Falls
|
17,229
|
18,807
|
19,656
|
19,700
|
21,600
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
5.9
|
6.4
|
6.6
|
6.6
|
7.2
|
|
Poisoning
|
19,457
|
20,950
|
23,600
|
25,300
|
22,700
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
6.7
|
7.1
|
8.0
|
8.5
|
7.5
|
|
Choking*
|
4,272
|
4,470
|
3,582
|
3,500
|
3,700
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
1.5
|
1.5
|
1.5
|
1.2
|
1.2
|
|
Drowning
|
3,306
|
3,308
|
3,582
|
3,500
|
4,700
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
1.2
|
1.2
|
1.6
|
|
Fires, flames, smoke
|
3,369
|
3,229
|
3,197
|
3,300
|
2,700
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
0.9
|
|
Mechanical suffocation
|
1,309
|
1,421
|
1,514
|
1,200
|
1,200
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
0.4
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
|
Firearms
|
730
|
649
|
789
|
850
|
830
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
By Age Group
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0-4 years old
|
2,662
|
2,693
|
2,747
|
2,600
|
2,500
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
13.5
|
13.4
|
13.5
|
12.7
|
12.1
|
|
5-14 years old
|
2,618
|
2,666
|
2,415
|
2,300
|
2,300
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
6.4
|
6.5
|
6.0
|
5.7
|
5.7
|
|
15-24 years old
|
15,272
|
15,449
|
15,753
|
16,200
|
15,800
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
37.0
|
37.1
|
37.4
|
38.3
|
37.2
|
|
25-44 years old
|
29,307
|
29,503
|
30,916
|
31,400
|
30,300
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
34.8
|
35.1
|
36.8
|
37.5
|
36.2
|
|
45-64 years old
|
25,007
|
26,593
|
29,192
|
30,500
|
30,300
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
36.4
|
37.6
|
40.1
|
40.8
|
39.6
|
|
65-74 years old
|
8,081
|
8,116
|
8,632
|
8,900
|
9,000
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
44.0
|
43.9
|
46.3
|
47.7
|
46.5
|
|
75 years and older
|
26,330
|
26,992
|
28,154
|
28,600
|
29,800
|
|
Deaths per 100,000 population
|
149.6
|
151.4
|
155.2
|
155.9
|
160.8
|
Source: National Safety Council, Injury Facts®, 2009 Edition.
*Inhalation or ingestion of food or object obstructing breathing.
|
