In 2004, there were nearly 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States. This age group made up 21 percent of the total U.S. resident population in 2004. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children of every age from 3 to 14 years old (based on 2002 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). In 2004, there were a total of 42,636 traffic fatalities in the United States. The 14 and under age group accounted for 5 percent (2,157) of those traffic fatalities. This age group accounted for 4 percent (1,638) of all vehicle occupant fatalities, 9 percent (246,000) of all the people injured in motor vehicle crashes, and 8 percent (214,000) of all the vehicle occupants injured in crashes. Every day in the United States, an average of 6 children age 14 and younger were killed and 673 were injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2004. In the 14 and under age group, males accounted for 56 percent of the fatalities and 47 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2004. (Author/publisher)
Abstract