ADOLESCENT MORTALITY
In 2000, based on preliminary data, there were 13,463
deaths of adolescents aged 15-19 years. In that age
group, injury was the leading cause of death. The
6,573 injury deaths accounted for 49 percent of all
deaths of 15- to 19-year-olds in 2000. Homicide and
suicide were the next leading causes of death, accounting
for 15 and 12 percent, respectively, of all deaths
among 15- to 19-year-olds. Mortality among teenagers
declined substantially between 1960 and the early
1980s. There was a moderate increase in mortality
among 15- to 19-year-olds in the mid-to-late 1980s.
The death rate among that age group has decreased
22 percent since 1993.
Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of injury
mortality among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2000, accounting
for 78 percent of unintentional injuries among teenagers.
Firearms were the next leading cause of injury death,
representing 38 percent of all unintentional injury
deaths in this age group.
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