The source for the following statistics is The National Safety Council, a nonprofit, nongovernmental, public service organization. Members of the NSC include businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the National Safety Council is committed to preventing accidental injuries in the workplace, on roads and highways, and in homes and communities.

Accidental deaths in the United States are rising at an alarming rate, more than 20 percent over a 10-year period, reaching 113,000 deaths in 2005, according to data available from the National Safety Council (NSC).  The NSC warns that at the current rate, the nation’s all-time high of 116,385 accidental deaths, set in 1969, could be surpassed in the next few years.

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.

Accidents also accounted for more than 24 million nonfatal injuries in 2005, putting major stress on our nation’s health care system. The economic cost of all fatal and nonfatal injuries amounted to $625.5 billion nationally, or $5,500 per household.

NSC research shows that when it comes to safety, most Americans are more concerned about being the victim of a random act of violence than they are about being seriously injured in an accident. The reality is that while we are at greater risk of experiencing an accidental injury, we have greater control over managing those risks.

According to the NSC, the leading causes of accidental injury and death in this country are all preventable. Research indicates that awareness plays a huge role in reducing the risk of injury and changes in behavior and basic preventive measures can save lives. Experience also shows that by coming together – as safety leaders, government officials, employers, municipalities, community groups and individuals – these disturbing trends can be reversed and, by doing so, save billions of dollars and thousands of lives.