Recent Study Outlines Statistic Analysis of Accidental Deaths
In 2002, “unintentional injuries,� better known as accidents, were responsible for 4.4% of all deaths occurring, making it the fifth most common cause death in the United States. Accidents are the third most common cause of death among American males, but only the seventh most common cause of death among American women. More surprising is accidents were the number one cause of death of those between the ages of one and 29 in the U.S. Accidents claimed the lives of 12,752 young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
What probably comes as little surprise is motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the number one type of accident, accounting for 44.3% of the deaths resulting from an accident. Falls come in a very distant second with only 17.8%.
In 2005, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ranked states based upon how many fatalities per 100,000 people resulted from MVAs. The top four states were: (1) Wyoming 33.4; (2) Mississippi 31.9; (3) Montana 26.8 and (4) South Carolina 25.7. The states with the lowest were: (1) Massachusetts 6.9; (2) New York 7.4; (3) Connecticut 7.8 and (4) Rhode Island 8.1.
The two leading causes of MVAs in the U.S. are: (1) driving under the influence of alcohol and (2) driver fatigue.
TYPES OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS INVOLVING MOTOR VEHICLES, USA 1992
Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Percent
Between vehicles 43%
With fixed object 27%
Pedestrian 16%
Non-collision 10%
Collision pedacycle 2%
Collision train 1%
MVA deaths were at night — 50%
MVA deaths involve intoxicants in driver — 50%
MVA deaths were rural — 62%
MVA pedestrian deaths were urban — 65%
Urban MVA deaths were pedestrian — 25%
Fatal MVAs Involved Traffic Violations — 55%
Traffic Violation Percent
Driving at unsafe speed 16.5%
Failure to yield right-of-way 7.8%
Crossed the center line 7.5%
Passed stop sign 2.6%
Improper overtaking 2.5%
Disregarded a signal 2.2%
Followed too closely 0.6%
Other violations 15.3
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/causes.html
CAUSES OF DEATH
by Ben Best
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Life-extension requires not only an awareness of mechanisms of aging, but an awareness of the most common conventional causes of death — and appropriate countermeasures.
Because the United States is representative of most developed (industrialized) countries, and since so much data is available for the United States, I will begin by detailing information available from that country. Truly international statistics on causes of death — especially rates of death — is not easy to come by. However, the World Health Organization does have some data (which may not be too accurate) from all its member countries from the mid-1990s as well as some more accurate data for 38 countries which are well developed enough to have reasonably good statistics available. A list of those 38 countries can be found in the Appendix.
II. CAUSES OF DEATH (USA, MAINLY)
The most common conventional causes of death in industrialized countries are cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and accident (in that order). Alzheimer’s victims usually die of pneumonia, a lung condition or a cerebrovascular condition — so Alzheimer’s victims are often declared to die of other causes.
CAUSES OF DEATH, USA, 2002
FORMAL NAME INFORMAL NAME % ALL DEATHS
(1) Diseases of the heart heart attack (mainly) 28.5%
(2) Malignant neoplasms cancer 22.8%
(3) Cerebrovascular disease stroke 6.7%
(4) Chronic lwr. resp. disease emphysema, chronic bronchitis 5.1%
(5) Unintentional injuries accidents 4.4%
(6) Diabetes mellitus diabetes 3.0%
(7) Influenza and pneumonia flu & pneumonia 2.7%
(8) Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s senility 2.4%
(9) Nephritis and Nephrosis kidney disease 1.7%
(10) Septicemia systemic infection 1.4%
(11) Intentional self-harm suicide 1.3%
(12) Chronic Liver/Cirrhosis liver disease 1.1%
(13) Essential Hypertension high blood pressure 0.8%
(14) Assault homicide 0.7%
(15) All other causes other 17.4%