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 (2005 data not yet available). Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children of every age from 3 to 14 years old (based on 2003 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). In 2005, there were a total of 43,443 traffic fatalities in the United States. The 14 and younger age group accounted for 4 percent (1,946) of those traffic fatalities. This age group accounted for 4 percent (1,451) of all vehicle occupant fatalities, 9 percent (234,000) of all the people injured in motor vehicle crashes, and 8 percent (203,000) of all the vehicle occupants injured in crashes. Every day in the United States, an average of 5 children age 14 and younger were killed and 640 were injured every day in motor vehicle crashes during 2005. In the 14 and under age group, males accounted for 57 percent of the fatalities and 50 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2005. (Author/publisher) All HTML Files of 2005 Traffic Safty Fact Sheets: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2005/2005TSF/index.htm
Abstract