The Cost of Injury

Preventable injuries are a social and economic burden to people across this nation. Injuries and violence, such as falls, motor vehicle crashes, unintentional prescription drug overdose, traumatic brain injury (TBI), suicide, homicide and child maltreatment kill more Americans than heart disease, cancer, hypertension and influenza combined. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that:

• Every three minutes someone in the United States dies from an injury. 

• Each year, more than 29 million people are treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal injuries.

• Deaths, hospitalizations, emergency room visits and losses in work productivity resulting from injuries cost the United States $406 billion in 2005.

• The average medical cost for a fatal injury ranged from $7,000 to $20,000 in 2005.

Policy Options to Prevent Injury

State legislatures are attempting to lessen the burden injury and violence have on communities and the economy. For example, in 2011:

• Twenty-one states passed legislation aimed at preventing the mental and physical damage caused from concussions in young athletes.

• Eight states introduced legislation requiring education on preventing teen dating violence.

• At least 34 states have operational prescription drug monitoring programs.

• All states introduced legislation to address some type of traffic safety issue, including impaired or distracted driving, seat belt usage and teen driving.

Notes: Numbers are based on 2005 data, the most recent available. Data includes deaths from natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, 2011; National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics System, 2005; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.