States with the most deadly accidents
There were 130,557 accidental deaths in the United States in 2013. Some types of accidental deaths are more common than others. Drug poisonings and motor vehicle accidents were the two leading causes of unintentional deaths.
24/7 Wall St. examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on accidental deaths by state. West Virginia had the highest accidental death rate at 71.5 deaths per 100,000 residents. New York had the lowest rate at 27.5 deaths per 100,000 residents. These are the states with the highest accidental death rates.
Motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of accidental death in 18 states. Some of these states had relatively lax motor vehicle regulations. Montana, for example, does not require periodic vehicle safety inspections, which would keep less safe vehicles off the road. Mississippi, like just a few other states, does not use a point system to monitor driver records. This may allow dangerous drivers to stay on the road longer than they would in states that use such a system.
In another 25 states, poisoning was the leading cause of accidental deaths, the vast majority of which were drug-related. Drug use, including prescription drugs, was quite common in many of these states. The proportion of residents reporting near-daily use of mind-altering drugs to relax exceeded the national average of 18.9% in six of the top 10 states for accidental deaths.
Another leading cause of accidental death was falls. While it is unclear why some states reported higher rates of deaths from falling than others, the eight states that reported falls as the leading cause of accidental death included some of the most mountainous states in the country: Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Oregon. None of those states were within the 10 states with the highest death rate.
Higher accidental death rates may contribute to higher mortality rates overall. The estimated years of potential life lost prior to age 75 exceeded the national average of roughly 7,000 years in all of the states with the highest accidental death rates.
To identify the states with the most deadly accidents, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the age-adjusted accidental death rate in each state in 2013 from the CDC. Nominal figures and age-adjusted rates by cause of accidental death also came from the CDC. The age-adjusted death rate is used to allow for comparisons of relative mortality risks across groups and over time. We also looked at the percentage of a state's population reporting near-daily mind-altering drug use in 2014 from Gallup's most recent Healthways Well-Being Index. Violent crimes per 100,000 people and drug abuse violations in 2013 came from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We also considered educational attainment rates, the percentage of people with no health insurance, and household median income from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS). Unemployment rates for 2013 came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
These are the states with the most deadly accidents.
1. West Virginia
> Age-adjusted accidental deaths per 100,000: 71.5
> Pct. population using mind-altering drugs almost daily: 28.1 (the highest)
> Premature death (years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000): 10,159 (2nd highest)
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
There were more than 71 unintentional deaths per 100,000 people in West Virginia, by far the highest accidental death rate nationwide. Poison accounted for more than 31 accidental deaths per 100,000 people in the state, the highest rate in the country and nearly 10 percentage points higher than New Mexico's second-place poison death rate. Nearly all poison deaths in West Virginia were drug related. In a recent Gallup survey, more than 28% of state residents reported using mind-altering drugs to relax nearly every day, the highest proportion in the nation. Daily mind-altering drug use is not necessarily linked to deaths, but the high percentage is inline with the incidence of drug overdoses in the state, including what state officials are calling a heroin epidemic. In response to the growing problem, lawmakers passed a bill in April that aims to provide counselling and medication for addicts.
2. Oklahoma
> Age-adjusted accidental deaths per 100,000: 62.6
> Pct. population using mind-altering drugs almost daily: 21.5 (13th highest)
> Premature death (years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000): 9,654 (5th highest)
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
More than 19 poison-related fatalities per 100,000 people in Oklahoma were reported, the sixth highest poison death rate in the country. As in other states, drugs accounted for the majority of poison deaths. Also, like most other states with high rates of accidental drug deaths, 21.5% of Oklahoma residents reported near-daily drug use to Gallup, one of the higher percentages compared with other states. Car accidents caused roughly 19 deaths per 100,000 Oklahoma residents, trailing only poison as the largest contributor to the state's accidental death rate, and it was the fourth highest such rate nationwide.
3. New Mexico
> Age-adjusted accidental deaths per 100,000: 58.8
> Pct. population using mind-altering drugs almost daily: 18.4 (25th lowest)
> Premature death (years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000): 8,445 (10th highest)
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
There were 21.5 poisoning deaths per 100,000 New Mexico residents, the second-highest such rate nationwide and the largest contributor to accidental deaths in the state. Drug poisoning, including alcohol, accounted for most of these deaths. The approximately 3.2 non-drug deaths, such as ingesting household chemicals by mistake, accounted for the remainder and was the second-highest non-drug-related poisoning death rate nationwide. The prevalence of drug use in the state may be tied to poor socio-economic factors. Nearly 19% of residents did not have health insurance, a higher share than in all but four states. Also, a typical household earned $43,872 in 2013, nearly the lowest median household income nationwide. In addition to the high rate of accidental deaths, New Mexico's violent crime rate of 597 per 100,000 people was nearly the highest in the country.
4. Montana
> Age-adjusted accidental deaths per 100,000: 57.4
> Pct. population using mind-altering drugs almost daily: 17.7 (18th lowest)
> Premature death (years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000): 7,480 (20th highest)
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor vehicle accidents
There were about 23 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 Montana residents, the highest such rate nationwide and the leading cause of accidental deaths in the state. Montana is one of only a few states without required vehicle emission or periodic safety inspections, which may result in relatively more unsafe vehicles. Montana is also a very large state with a relatively small population, which likely increases travel times for many residents. Together with severe driving conditions during Montana's extreme winter months, the lack of inspections and the long driving times likely drove the state's high number of motor vehicle accidents. Falling was the second leading cause of accidental deaths in Montana, with a reported 12.6 falling deaths per 100,000 residents, the ninth highest such rate in the country.
5. Mississippi
> Age-adjusted accidental deaths per 100,000: 55.5
> Pct. population using mind-altering drugs almost daily: 22.3 (7th highest)
> Premature death (years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000): 10,354 (the highest)
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor vehicle accidents
Motor vehicles were the leading cause of accidental deaths in Mississippi at 22.5 such deaths per 100,000 residents, the second highest rate in the nation. There may be relatively more unsafe drivers in Mississippi, as the state was one of just a handful of states not to have a point system for driving violations. Depending on the state, points could result in the suspension or revocation of a driver's license. In Mississippi, however violations are entered on a driver's record, which is available to insurance companies and potential employers. Drug-related poisoning was the second leading cause of accidental death in Mississippi, with 9.3 drug poisoning-related deaths per 100,000 residents. The state had by far the nation's highest rate of accidental death by suffocation at 6.1 such deaths per 100,000 residents.
24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.