A new analysis from the National Safety Council (NSC) indicates unintentional deaths hit their highest number in history in 2017. This information, released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows fatalities resulting from preventable accidents rose to 169,936 in 2017, a 5.3% increase from 2016. According to the NSC, an American is killed accidentally every three minutes by a drug overdose, a motor vehicle crash, a fall, a drowning, a choking incident or another preventable occurrence. Below we have listed the top 10 accidental, preventable deaths from 2017.
- 1. Poisoning (including drug overdose)
Number of Deaths
2017: 64,795
2016: 58,335
Percent Change: 11.1%
- 2. Motor Vehicle Accidents
Number of Deaths
2017: 40,231
2016: 40,327
Percent Change: -0.2%
- 3. Falls
Number of Deaths
2017: 36,338
2016: 34,673
Percent Change: 4.8%
- 4. Suffocation of Ingestion, Inhalation
Number of Deaths
2017: 5,216
2016: 4,829
Percent Change: 8%
- 5. Drowning
Number of Deaths
2017: 3,709
2016: 3.786
Percent Change: -2%
- 6. Fires, Flames, and Smoke
Number of Deaths
2017: 2,812
2016: 2,730
Percent Change: 3%
- 7. Mechanical Suffocation (also including hanging and strangulation)
Number of Deaths
2017: 1,730
2016: 1,781
Percent Change: -2.9%
- 8. Natural Heat, Cold
Number of Deaths
2017: 1,269
2016: 1,189
Percent Change: 6.7%
- 9. Struck by, Against
Number of Deaths
2017: 806
2016: 709
Percent Change: 2%
- 10. Machinery
Number of Deaths
2017: 572
2016: 610
Percent Change: -6.2%
