Injuries are the 5th leading cause of death in New Hampshire. Someone dies of an injury every 20 hours in New Hampshire and many more are incapacitated by injuries or suffer lifelong disabilities. Injuries include trauma from intentional acts such as assaults and suicide, as well as from motor vehicle crashes, fires, firearms, drowning, suffocation, falls, poisonings, and other unintentional events. Decreasing injuries requires the combined efforts of health, education, transportation, law, engineering, and safety science professionals, faith and community leaders, and families.
Falls are the third leading cause of injury death in New Hampshire.
For those 65 years of age and older, falls are the eighth leading cause of death and the most frequent cause of injury hospitalizations. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury death in New Hampshire. The youngest and the oldest drivers have the highest risk of death from motor vehicle crashes. Among those 15 through 19 years of age, the rate is 15.0 deaths per 100,000, and among those 75 years of age and older, the rate is 18.6 deaths per 100,000 population. Many motor vehicle related fatalities can be prevented by proper use of seat belts and child safety restraints and by enforcement of laws regarding intoxicated drivers.