Unintentional Injury Deaths
Goal: Decrease the number of injuries with combined efforts in the health care, education, transportation, legal, and safety science fields.
Measure
Number of deaths that occurred due to unintentional injuries and rates per 100,000 persons in Saginaw County and Michigan since 2002.
Why This Indicator is Important
Fatal injuries impact many areas of society. Alcohol abuse and use of illegal substances is often recognized as a contributing factor in accidental deaths. Such deaths result from a variety of incidents—traffic accidents, falls, fires, and drowning. Nonfatal injuries resulting from accidents might leave their victims incapacitated. Fatal injuries might also result in additional burden of medical care costs, rehabilitation, and lost income for those left behind. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, injuries caused 1 out of 14 deaths in the United States in 2004, including 3 out of 4 deaths among adolescents and young adults.
In 2005, one in nine people in the United States sought medical attention for such injuries. Injury death and resulting disabilities of injuries that occurred in 2000 are estimated to cost $80 billion in lifetime medical care treatment costs for physical injuries and another $326 billion in lifetime lost productivity, totaling more than $400 billion for the combined economic burden of medical treatment and lost productivity.
In 2005, one in nine people in the United States sought medical attention for such injuries. Injury death and resulting disabilities of injuries that occurred in 2000 are estimated to cost $80 billion in lifetime medical care treatment costs for physical injuries and another $326 billion in lifetime lost productivity, totaling more than $400 billion for the combined economic burden of medical treatment and lost productivity.
How Are We Doing?
In Saginaw County, the leading types of unintentional fatal injuries have remained transport fatal injuries (i.e., those resulting from accidents involving means of transportation, including motor vehicles) and falls. Citizens ages 65+ remain the most likely population group to suffer a fatal injury within Saginaw.
How Can You Have An Impact?
- Promote domestic and public safety programs.
- Promote education programs that focus on the impact of alcohol and drug abuse.
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