NSC Releases Latest Edition of ‘Injury Facts’
The National Safety Council (NSC) has just released its 2014 edition of Injury Facts®. According to the NSC, Injury Facts provides “the most current occupational, motor vehicle, home, community, state and international injury statistics on deaths and nonfatal injuries and their costs.
The NSC has been publishing the guide annually for over 90 years as a resource for government, employers, businesses, public safety officials and public health officials to identify the leading causes of injuries in an effort to help reduce those numbers.
This year’s edition reveals that accidental poisoning, especially from prescription painkillers, was the leading cause of death in almost 20 states and Washington D.C. This is in direct correlation to the increase in drug fatalities. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics show that 100 people a day die from drug overdoses.
And despite all the attempts at educating the public about the dangers of cell phones and driving, the NSC found that 26 percent of vehicle accidents involve cell phones. Five percent were caused by drivers texting while driving, and 21 percent were caused by drivers talking on either a hand-held or hands-free units.
There was a slight decrease in the number of teen motor vehicle accident fatalities in 2012; however, vehicle crashes are still the number one cause of teen deaths.
July had the most vehicle accident fatalities; February had the least. The highest number of fatal car accidents caused by drunk drivers occurred during the three days around New Year’s Day.
Other information available in the publication includes statistics from occupational injuries, home electrical fires and traumatic brain injuries. Overall, the cost of accidental injuries cost $790 billion every year.
If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, contact a qualified New Braunfels personal injury attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.
