Motor vehicle deaths outrank all other injuries and sdiseases as the leading cause of death among children and teenagers 1-19 years old in the United States. This is the finding of a new Institute-sponsored report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. Deaths in motor vehicles account for 37 percent of all injury deaths among children and teenagers. During 1986-92, a total of 64,099 children 0-19 died in on-the-road crashes including 47,187 as vehicle occupants, 4,125 as motorcyclists, 2,939 as pedal cyclists, and 9,637 as pedestrians. An additional 2,476 children died in crashes off public roads such as driveways. Teens 15-19 had the highest number of vehicle deaths, followed by children 10-14. Twice as many males as females died in crashes. Native American children had the highest crash death rates, followed by non-Hispanic white children. Pedestrian death rates were higher among Native Americans, blacks, and Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites. Asian/Pacific Islander children had the lowest death rates. The motor vehicle death problem among children and teenagers has improved. Death rates per 100,000 children ages 0-19 decreased about 13 percent between 1980-85 and 1986-92. Most of this decrease occurred among motorcyclists and pedestrians. Death rates for vehicle occupants decreased 4.7 percent, compared with 7.6 percent for all injury deaths. Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi had the highest rates per 100,000 of vheicle occupant deaths among 0-19 year-olds. States with the lowest rates were New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
Abstract