Compared to the rest of the nation, Utah had the fourteenth highest rate of injury deaths, which include drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes and homicides, in the nation. According to a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the number of deaths in Utah related to drug overdose is higher than the number of residents killed in motor vehicle accidents in the entire state between 2011 and 2013.
“One person dies from an injury every three minutes in the United States. They are responsible for nearly 193,000 deaths and more than 27 million Americans seek medical treatment for injuries each year," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director for TFAH.
Levi said research shows injuries are predictable and preventable.
"This report illustrates how evidence-based strategies can actually help prevent and reduce motor vehicle crashes, head injuries, fires, falls, homicide, suicide, assaults, sexual violence, child abuse, drug misuse, overdoses and more," Levi said. "It's not rocket science, but it does require common sense and investment in good public health practice."
Utah ranks fifth highest in the nation for drug overdose deaths. Many of the one hundred thousand Utahns who died from preventable injuries during the four years studied overdosed on prescription drugs.
Corinne Peek-Asa is a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Iowa.
“Now more than two million Americans misuse prescription drugs and this is fueling a rise in heroin use," Peek-Asa said. "Some people are transitioning from prescription painkillers to heroin.”
Peek-Asa said injuries are persistent public health problems.
"We cannot afford to neglect or divert funds from ongoing concerns like motor vehicle crashes, drownings, assaults and suicides," Peek-Asa said. "We spend less than the cost of a box of bandages, at just $.028 per person per year on core injury prevention programs in this country."
The report also shows that Utah’s homicide rates are below the national average and that enforcing seat belt and child booster seat laws has helped to prevent injuries in the state. To further prevent injury related deaths in Utah the state-by-state injury prevention policy report suggests Utah policy makers need to do more to prevent unintentional falls, reduce incidents of child abuse and neglect and require bicycle helmet use for all children.