Report on Injuries in America

Highlights from Injury Facts^®, 2007 Edition

Since We Started Tracking Injuries

Between 1912 and 2005, unintentional-injury deaths per 100,000 population were reduced 51% (after adjusting for the classification change in 1948) from 82.4 to 38.1. The reduction in the overall rate during a period when the nation's population tripled has resulted in 5,100,000 fewer people being killed due to unintentional injuries than there would have been if the rate had not been reduced.

Total Unintentional-Injury Deaths

• Unintentional-injury deaths were up 1% in 2005 compared to the revised 2004 total. Unintentional-injury deaths were estimated to total 113,000 in 2005 and 112,000 in 2004. The 2005 estimate is 3% greater than the 2003 final count of 109,277. The 2005 figure is 30% greater than the 1992 total of 86,777 (the lowest annual total since 1924) and only 3% below the 1969 peak of 116,385 deaths.
• The death rate in 2005 was 38.1 per 100,000 population – 12% greater than the lowest rate on record, which was 34. in 1992. The 2005 death rate was unchanged from the 2004 revised rate.

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Selected Measures of Unintentional Injuries, U.S., 2001-2005

Summary data highlights

The table shows the short-term historical trends in National Safety Council estimates of accidental deaths and death rates by class and venue, by leading causes of accidental death, and by age group. Also shown are some overall estimates of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; estimates of motor-vehicle deaths and injuries from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and estimates of nonfatal injuries and emergency department visits from the National Center for Health Statistics.

(See table for recent trends in a number of important injury measures.)