In 2010, there were 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States, 20 percent of the total U.S. resident population in 2010. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children age 4 and ages 11 to 14 (based on 2009 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). During 2010, there were a total of 32,885 traffic fatalities in the United States. The 14-and-younger age group accounted for 1,210 (4%) of those traffic fatalities, which is an 8-percent decrease from the 1,320 fatalities in 2009. In 2010, there were an additional 171,000 children age 14 and younger injured, which is a 4-percent decrease from the 179,000 children injured in 2009. An average of 3 children age 14 and younger were killed and 469 were injured every day in the United States in motor vehicle crashes during 2010. In the 14-and-younger age group, males accounted for 57 percent of the fatalities and 52 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2010. (Author/publisher)
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