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Accidental Deaths Increasing in U.S.

By Admin on June 08, 2007 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Accidental deaths in the United States increased more than 20 percent from 1995 to 2005, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit, nongovernmental, public service organization. Over 113,000 accidental deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2005 (the year for which the latest data is available). In a press release, the NSC states that "for people between 1 and 41 years of age, accidents are the leading cause of death in the nation. While accidents continue to be the 5th leading cause of death overall, exceeded only by heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidental deaths are increasing at a greater rate than that of any of the top four causes of death." Continuing a longstanding trend, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of accidental deaths in the U.S. However, according to the NSC, "[p]oisoning - particularly from overdoses of over-the-counter, prescription and illicit drugs - is now the fastest-rising cause of accidental death with a 5 percent increase last year alone."

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