When it comes to worrying about accidental death, it's common for folks to fear being in a plane crash, getting attacked by a shark or succumbing to something else equally as dramatic, but, as it turns out, we're a lot more likely to die just going about our mundane daily routines. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), as a result of preventable incidents, four people in the U.S. die every ten minutes, and another 1,054 will suffer an injury severe enough to warrant medical help in the same time frame. Injury-related preventable deaths include anything that is not a natural cause of death (illness) or an intentional act (homicide or suicide). Poisoning has been the leading cause of injury-related preventable death in the United States since 2013, says the NSC, and with the ever-increasing opioid problem plaguing the country, that is unlikely to change soon. Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of injury-related preventable deaths in the U.S., followed by falls and choking incidents. Other leading causes of preventable death include suffocation, drowning, fire and burns and natural or environmental disasters, which each make up less than 5% of the total amount of preventable deaths. For teens and young adults, motor-vehicle crashes drive injury-related preventable deaths, while those between the ages of 22 and 67 are more likely to die by poisoning, which the NSC largely contributes to the opioid epidemic, that they say killed 64,183 people in 2020 due to accidental overdoses. Accidental deaths over age 83 are largely driven by older adult falls. Insurers should take steps to stay ahead of these losses by encouraging their customers to only use prescribed and over-the-counter prescriptions as intended, practice safe driving habits (including not texting and driving), install appropriate safety railings and other equipment in their homes to prevent falls and to learn basic first aid, including the Heimlich maneuver. In the slideshow above, we look at which states are the most at-risk when it comes to preventable deaths, according to the NSC.

Related:

• Tapering the opioid crisis: Best practices for claims professionals
• Moderating risks in the risk society
• Top 15 states for deadly motor vehicle accidents