Motor Vehicle Fatalities Decrease, Suicide Deaths on the Rise

A new study brings to light a new finding that states suicide has passed motor vehicle traffic crashes. This study was published by researchers from the West Virginia University School (WVU) of Public Health and Injury Control Research Center. They also stated that the disease rate has dropped while the injury rate has been on a rise.

This study was led by the researchers from the WVU along with nine other institutions. The researchers examined the changes in the injury mortality and its five leading causes from 2000 through 2009. The mortality data for 2009 was provided by the National Center for Health Statistics in January 2012 for public use.

This study was led by Ian Rockett, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor in the WVU School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and his findings were carried in the American Journal of Public Health.

"Suicide is now the leading cause of unintentional and violence-related injury mortality as a whole," Dr. Rockett said. "Suicide only surpassed motor vehicle traffic crashes in the final year available for the study, 2009. The suicide mortality rate was 15 percent higher in 2009 than 2000."

"Unintentional poisoning has risen to third among the leading causes of injury mortality, a change that appears mainly driven by the enormous increase in the rate of fatal overdoses from prescription painkillers," Rockett said.

"While motor vehicle traffic crashes still rank second as a cause of injury death, the rate decreased by 25 percent between 2000 and 2009 and is a universal success story," according to Rockett.

"Much time, attention and resources have been devoted to traffic safety," he said. "Similar efforts will be needed for success in other spheres of injury prevention."

The noticed a 71 percent rise in the fall mortality rate between 2000 and 2009. Currently, Falls rank fourth as a cause of injury deaths and homicide fifth.

They found male injury mortality rate is more than twice as high as the female injury mortality rate. However, the female rate increase was more than double that for males. The injury mortality rate for whites was 20 percent higher in 2009 than in 2000. 

 "Whites now have a higher rate than these two largest minority groups," Rockett said. "Traditionally at excess risk for injury mortality, the 15-24 year age group did not stand out from the 25-74 age groups. But, the 0-14 age group showed a 78 percent lower risk for injury death than the 15-24 age group, and the 75-years-and-older age group, an almost three-fold higher risk."