Meanwhile, student use of cigarettes has been slowly declining since 1975. Cocaine usage climbed in the early 1980s, but was lower in 1992 than it had been since 1975 with 6 percent of students reporting ever having used cocaine. The death rates of young adults 15 to 24 years old generally declined between 1970 and 1985 and have fluctuated since then. Young men have died each year at over twice the rate of young women. Also, between 1950 and 1990, the decline in the death rate for women was much larger than that for men.
Death rates are higher for blacks than for whites, especially among men.
Causes of Death Deaths of persons 15 to 24 years old have been largely attributable to behavioral causes. Since 1960, motor vehicle accidents have been by far the leading cause of death, followed by homicides and suicides. For young nonwhite males the homicide rate has increased dramatically in recent years, rising from 56 per 100,000 in 1985 to 109 per 100,000 in 1990. Meanwhile, the death rate from disease, such as cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia has been on a steady decline. With the exception of females ages 12 to 15, the violent crime victimization rate for young people was higher in 1991 than in 1988.