The unintentional injury-related death rate among children ages 14 and under declined 33 percent from 1987 to 1997. However, unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death among children ages 14 and under in the United States. In 1997, more than 6,040 children ages 14 and under died from unintentional injuries. In addition, each year nearly 120,000 children are permanently disabled. One out of every four children, or more than 14 million children ages 14 and under, sustains injuries that are serious enough to require medical attention each year. These injuries have enormous financial, emotional and social effects on not only the child and the family, but the community and society as a whole.

In general, children are primarily at risk of unintentional injury-related death from: motor vehicle injuries which include children as occupants, pedestrians and bicyclists; drowning; fire and burns; suffocation; choking; unintentional firearm injuries; falls; and poisonings. Injury rates vary with a child’s age, gender, race and socioeconomic status. Younger children, males, minorities and poor children suffer disproportionately. Additionally, the causes and consequences of injuries vary considerably by age and developmental level, reflecting differences in children’s cognitive, perceptual and motor/language abilities as well as environment and exposure to hazards.

DEATHS

• In 1997, unintentional injuries resulted in the death of 736 children under age 1, 1,968 children ages 1 to 4, 1,514 children ages 5 to 9, and 1,824 children ages 10 to 14.
  
• Among children under age 1, suffocation is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, followed by motor vehicle occupant injury, choking, drowning and fire and burns.
  
• Among children ages 1 to 4, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, followed by motor vehicle occupant injury, fire and burns, pedestrian injury and airway obstruction injuries (choking and suffocation).
  
• Among children ages 5 to 9, motor vehicle occupant injury is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, followed by pedestrian injury, drowning, fire and burns and bicycle injury.
  
• Among children ages 10 to 14, motor vehicle occupant injury is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, followed by pedestrian injury, drowning, bicycle injury and fire and burns.
  

INJURIES

• Every day, more than 39,000 children are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment, totaling more than 14 million children each year.
  
• Each year, injuries to children ages 14 and under result in 213,000 hospitalizations, nearly 7,900,000 emergency room visits, and more than 11,000,000 visits to physicians' offices.
  
• Among children ages 14 and under, treatment for injury is the second leading cause of hospitalization and the leading cause of visits to hospital emergency departments.
  

WHEN AND WHERE DEATHS AND INJURIES OCCUR

• The majority of childhood injuries occur between May and August.
  
• The vast majority of unintentional injury-related deaths among children occur in the evening hours when children are most likely to be out of school and unsupervised.
  
• Among children ages 14 and under, it is estimated that 40 percent of deaths and 50 percent of nonfatal unintentional injuries occur in and around the home.
  

WHO IS AT RISK

• Unintentional injuries disproportionately affect poor children and result in more fatalities in these children than children with greater economic resources.
  
• Children ages 4 and under are at greater risk of unintentional injury-related death and disability. This age group accounts for 46 percent of all unintentional injury-related deaths among children ages 14 and under.
  
• Through virtually all ages, for all causes of injury, males are at greater risk of unintentional death and injury than females. This is primarily due to greater exposure to activities that result in injury and patterns of risk taking and rough play.
  
• Children living in rural areas are at greater risk from unintentional injury-related death than children living in urban areas. Injuries in rural settings occur in remote, sparsely populated areas that tend to lack organized systems of trauma care, resulting in prolonged response and transport times. A short supply of medical facilities, equipment and personnel to treat injuries in rural areas also contribute to this increased risk.
  
• Black, Hispanic and Native American children have disproportionate death and injury rates primarily due to higher levels of poverty and lower levels of education, employment and income.
  

HEALTH CARE costs and SAVINGS

• Injury is the leading cause of medical spending for children ages 5 to 14.
  
• Among children ages 14 and under, falls account for the largest share of unintentional injury-related costs - nearly 21 percent - followed by motor vehicle occupant injuries, pedestrian injuries, drownings, poisonings and fire and burn injuries.
  
• The annual lifetime cost of unintentional injury among children ages 14 and under is nearly $175 billion, which includes $10.1 billion in direct medical costs, $16.9 billion in future earnings and $148 billion in quality of life.
  
• For every child injured, total costs are more than $12,700, including $650 in medical costs, more than $1,000 in future earnings lost and nearly $11,000 in quality of life.
  
• Every dollar spent on a child safety seat saves this country $32 in direct medical costs and other costs to society.
  
• Every dollar spent on a bicycle helmet saves this country $30 in direct medical costs and other costs to society.
  
• Every dollar spent on a smoke alarm saves this country $21 in direct medical costs and other costs to society.
  
• Every dollar spent on poison control centers saves this country $7 in medical costs.
  

PREVENTION EFFECTIVENESS

• It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of unintentional injuries can be prevented.
  
• A combination of education, environmental improvements, engineering modifications, enactment and enforcement of legislation and regulations, economic incentives, community empowerment and program evaluation are effective at reducing the incidence and severity of unintentional injury-related death and disability.
  

12/99 This information was compiled by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.