Car Crashes: #1 Cause of Death for People Ages 2 through 34
August 2007
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced
that motor vehicle traffic accidents were the number one cause of death
for people ages two through 34 in the United States. Car crashes topped
cancer, homicide, and suicide to claim the top spot for fatalities in
2004.
Officially classified as “motor vehicle traffic crashes,” these accidents were also ranked as the third leading cause of premature death. This means that an individual has died before their remaining life expectancy. Only cancer and heart disease ranked higher for lost years of life.
Over 60 different causes of death were taken into account as the NHTSA studied fatalities for 2004. Children under 15 saw cancer as their second leading cause of death, while homicide and suicide claimed nearly equal amounts of lives from ages 16 to 34.
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Source: "Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause of Death in the United States, 2004." By Rajesh Subramanian. NHTSA Study. March 2007.
