Odds of Dying
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ODDS OF DYING, BY SPECIFIC TYPES OF INJURIES
The chart below shows the likelihood, or odds, of dying as a result of a specific type of accident. The odds of dying over a one-year period are based on the U.S. population as a whole, not on participants in any particular activity or on how dangerous that activity may be. For example, more people are killed in auto accidents than in motorcycle accidents or airplane crashes, not because riding a motorcycle or traveling in an airplane is more or less dangerous, but because far more people travel by car. To arrive at lifetime odds, one-year odds were factored in with the average life expectancy of 77.8 years for a person born in the United States in 2005.
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ODDS OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES BY SELECTED CAUSE OF INJURY, 2005 (1)
Cause of death |
Deaths |
One-year odds |
Lifetime odds |
| Flood | 12 | 24,708,922 | 317,595 |
| Earthquake and other earth movements | 37 | 8,013,704 | 103,004 |
| Lightning | 48 | 6,177,230 | 79,399 |
| Bitten or struck by dog | 80 | 8,895,062 | 115,489 |
| Fall on and from ladder or scaffolding | 477 | 621,608 | 7,990 |
| Air and space transport accidents | 590 | 502,554 | 6,460 |
| Drowning and submersion while in or falling into swimming pool | 607 | 488,480 | 6,279 |
| Firearms discharge (accidental) | 789 | 375,801 | 4,830 |
| Cataclysmic storm (2) | 874 | 339,253 | 4,361 |
| Fall on and from stairs and steps | 1,690 | 175,448 | 2,255 |
| Exposure to smoke, fire and flames | 3,197 | 92,745 | 1,192 |
| Motorcycle riding | 4,387 | 67,588 | 869 |
| Assault by firearm | 12,352 | 24,005 | 309 |
| Motor vehicle accidents | 45,343 | 6,539 | 84 |
(1) Ranked by deaths in 2005.
(2) Includes hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, dust storms and other cataclysmic storms.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics; National Safety Council. |
| - The odds of dying from an injury in 2005 were 1 in 1,681 according to the latest data available.
- The lifetime odds of dying from an injury for a person born in 2005 were 1 in 22.
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