Injury-Related Deaths of Kids Drop Off 26.4%

L.A. Times Archives

May 5, 1998 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

WASHINGTON —

The number of children dying in car wrecks, bike crashes and other accidents fell more than 26% from 1987 to 1995, with the increased use of seat belts and bike helmets getting a lot of the credit.

At the same time, injury rates for sports-related activities such as basketball, football and in-line skating were up, the National Safe Kids Campaign reported as it marked its 10th anniversary.

“We know that prevention works,” said Dr. C. Everett Koop, the former surgeon general and current chairman of the campaign. “We can make our world a safer place for future generations to grow up unharmed by the dangers that surround us.”

The report coincided with the appearance on Capitol Hill of 21 children designated “safety stars.” One, 13-year-old Drew Bartlett of Valley Falls, Kan., took himself and his sister out of their home when he heard a smoke alarm go off. Drew also called 911, although the fire eventually burned down the house.

In 1987, the overall death rate from accidental injuries was 15.56 per 100,000 children age 14 and younger. By 1995, that figure had fallen to 11.45 per 100,000, a decrease of 26.4%, the campaign reported. It based its study on data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the Consumer Product Safety Council, the Transportation Department and other government and private groups.

Despite the overall decline, accidents remained the No. 1 threat to children, killing at four times the rate of cancer, birth defects or homicide. In 1995, accidents claimed 6,600 children 14 and younger. Motor vehicle deaths account for the greatest accidental loss of life, killing about 1,800 children a year and injuring 290,000.

In 1987, the death rate for motor vehicle occupants younger than 14 was 3.37 per 100,000; by 1995, it had fallen to 3.06 per 100,000, a drop of 9.06%. Deaths from bicycle accidents showed the greatest decline, falling from 0.75 per 100,000 to 0.44 per 100,000--a drop of 41%.

The study attributed the sharp increase in sports-related injuries to an increasing number of children, particularly girls, playing sports.

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Child Safety Rates

The death rate for children younger than 14 decreased by 28% from 1987 to 1995, but, preventable injury is still the No. 1 cause of death for children.

Key Findings

* Bicycle injury and fire death rates were down by 40%.

* Pedestrian deaths were down by more than 35%

* Sports-related injuries from basketball, baseball and in-line skating increased.

* Each year, three to four children died from injuries suffered while playing baseball.

* More than 6,600 children died each year from preventable injuries.

* 120,000 children each year were permanent disabled from preventable accidents.

* Injuries to children resulted in more than 246,000 hospital stays.

* Among children younger than 1, suffocation was the leading cause of injury-related death, followed by car accidents.

Injury-Related Deaths

(per 100,000 children)

-26.4%