According to the National Safety Council, accidental injury is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Every second, someone is accidentally injured, and someone is killed every three minutes by accidents that are preventable. This includes all car accidents, drug overdoses, falls, and drownings. Not all accidents can be prevented, but taking some proactive measures can help to reduce the chance of yourself or a loved one being injured or killed in a preventable accident. Reader’s Digest shares some of the most shocking safety statistics.
There have been more than 400,000 people killed in car accidents annually for the past three years. Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. reported a 5.8 increase in fatal motor vehicle accidents in 2018. Last year, 4.5 million people were injured in car accidents.
One of 2019’s most staggering statistics is that a person’s chances of dying from an opioid overdose have now surpassed their chances of dying in a car accident. A person has a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an unintentional overdose of opioids. The chances of dying in a car accident are just 1 in 103.
According to the National Safety Council, someone is injured in a workplace accident every seven seconds. Translating that number, that means that there are 510 injuries every hour. This means 4.6 million injuries per year occur in the workplace. Overexertion, injuries from objects and equipment, and slip and fall accidents are among the most common accidents that occur in the workplace.
Finally, playground injuries send 14,000 children under the age of 14 to the emergency room each year. More than 20,000 of the 200,000 children needing medical attention after a trip to the playground suffer from traumatic brain injuries like concussions. Other injuries include burns from scalding slides and broken bones.