Accidental deaths

ACCIDENTAL DEATHS

Fortunately, we're finally beginning to get smarter about safety, says Jeffrey Sacks, M.D., medical epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, division of unintentional injury prevention, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "There has been a proliferation of safety devices in our lives," Dr. Sacks says. "But honestly, we can still be pretty dumb about using them. And way, way too often, alcohol and drugs are a factor in our lack of judgment."
It'll be of little surprise to anyone that one place we exercise the worst judgment and pay for it the most is on the road, where more fatal accidents happen than anywhere else. But we also do quite a number on ourselves at the workplace and-even worse-in our own homes. Here are the top types of fatal accidents and steps that safety experts say you can take to avoid bumping into your maker before your time.

Motor-vehicle crashes. "About 85 percent of fatal traffic crashes are caused by human error and could have been avoided had the person been driving defensively," says Tim Kennedy, program manager for Highway Traffic Safety at the National Safety Council in Itasca, Illinois. "People can lower their chances of being involved in a car crash dramatically by not speeding, by not driving after drinking, and by leaving appropriate space between themselves and other cars," Kennedy says.

Falls. Each year more than a million folks get a trip to the hospital for a trip down the stairs. Aside from exercising caution, experts say that regular exercise-especially exercises that emphasize balance, such as tai chi-can help you maintain your coordination and stay on your feet throughout your life.

Poisonings -solids and liquids. We tend to think of poisoning as something that happens when little kids get into medicine cabinets, but people ages 25 to 44 are actually six feet under everyone else when it come to this brand of accidental death-with twice the death rate of toddlers. If you suspect that you or someone else has "overdosed" on drugs or medication or has swallowed something poisonous, call your local poison control center. More than 70 percent of poisonings can be treated through instructions taken over the phone, says Alton Thygerson, Ed.D., professor of health science at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and technical consultant to the National Safety Council's First-Aid Institute in Itasca, Illinois.

Drowning. About 85 percent of all drowning victims are men, says Dr. Thygerson. Drowning kills about 4,500 people a year. When the victims are adult men, alcohol is a factor most of the time, Dr. Thygerson says. "We can't seem to get it through to people that drinking and boating and swimming are deadly combinations. Save it for the shore."

*99/36/5*
GENERAL HEALTH
ŤPain Medications Without a Prescriptionť