The public venue includes any preventable injury incident other than motor vehicle that occurs in the public use of any premises. It includes deaths in recreation (swimming, hunting, etc.), in transportation (except motor vehicle), in public buildings, etc., and from widespread natural disasters, even though some may have happened on home premises. The public venue excludes incidents to people in the course of gainful employment. In the last 10 years, preventable deaths in public places have increased 82% while the death rate has increased 73%.
Preventable Injuries and Injury-Related Deaths
in Public Places, 2022
In 2022, the number of public preventable injury-related deaths was up 4.9% from the 2021 total of 47,300. The 2022 death rate per 100,000 population also increased 4.9%, from 14.2 in 2021 to 14.9.
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With an estimated 17.4 million medically consulted preventable injuries occurring in public places and a population of more than 333 million people, on average about 1 person in 19 experienced such an injury in 2022.
The two leading causes of preventable injury-related deaths in public places are poisoning and falls, accounting for about 21,900 and 14,300, respectively. These two causes alone account for 73% of public deaths. The next two leading causes of death are drowning and choking, each accounting for 5% or fewer of public deaths. No other cause accounted for more than 1% of public deaths.
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Source: National Safety Council (NSC) estimates based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and state vital statistics departments.