More than three out every four deaths in youth between the ages of 10 and 20 are caused by unintentional injuries (60 percent), homicides and suicides (40 percent).

• Adolescent Injury
• Playing it safe

Adolescent Injury

• At least one adolescent (10 to 19 years old) dies of an injury every hour of every day; about 15,000 die each year. Males are more likely than females to die from injury.


• Injuries kill more adolescents than all diseases combined.


• For every injury death, there are about 41 injury hospitalizations and 1,100 cases treated in emergency departments.

Why the high statistics?

In 1997, as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey that resulted in 16,262 questionnaires completed by students in 151 schools. The following data are summarized from that survey.

• 19.3 percent of students had rarely or never worn seat belts when riding in a car or truck driven by someone else.


• Among students who had ridden a motorcycle during the 12 months preceding the survey, 36.2 percent had rarely or never worn a motorcycle helmet.


• Among students who had ridden a bicycle during the 12 months preceding the survey, 88.4 percent had rarely or never worn a bicycle helmet.


• During the 30 days preceding the survey, 36.6 percent of students had ridden one or more times with a drunk driver.


• During the 30 days preceding the survey, 16.9 percent of students had driven a vehicle one or more times after drinking alcohol.

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Playing it safe

Check out these tips for playing it safe when you are in the car, on your bike or hitting the slopes.

• Bike Safety
• Car Safety
• Snowboarding

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