Cell Phone-Related Accident Fatalities Involving Younger Persons Up

Distracted driving accidents involving cell phone use is killing more young people than ever before. According to new statistics released by the National Safety Council, however, car accidents are not the number one cause of accidental fatalities in the United States. More people now are killed from poisoning, especially those related to drug overdoses, than any other cause.

However, among younger people, cell phone-related distracted driving accidents are a major cause of fatalities. In fact, according to the statistics, auto accidents caused the highest number of fatal injuries involving younger persons, and cell phone-related distractions contributed significantly to those accidents.

When it came to senior citizens in the above-65 age category, fall accidents were the number one cause of fatal injuries. In fact, earlier studies have indicated that falls can actually increase mortality risks among senior citizens. A senior’s risk of dying increases dramatically in the one year after he has suffered a slip and fall. The report finds that there was an increase of 3.2% in the number of injury-related fatalities in 2012, compared to the previous year.

In recent years, poisonings especially those related to the over use, misuse and abuse of prescription runs, has dominated injury-related fatality data. Earlier, poisoning-related fatalities often involved children, who gained access to household chemical and solvents. However, somewhere in 1993, according to the National Safety Council, the number of people who died from accidental poisoning actually began increasing, and most of those deaths were related to the misuse of prescription drugs.

Meanwhile, to reduce the number of young people dying in auto accidents, it is important to focus especially hard distracted driving. Laws that ban such practices are important, and primary enforcement and more stringent penalties must be attached to those laws. Fall accident strategies meanwhile are vital to help reduce fatality risks involving senior citizens.