The Burden of Unintentional Injury

• Unintentional injuries which are predictable and preventable, often mistakenly called "accidents", are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and disability worldwide.

• These injuries include: poisoning, falls, burns and transport (including motor vehicle crashes, pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists etc.)

• Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in Canada in those ages 1-44 (Statistics Canada 2026 , and  account for 3.14 millions deaths world-wide annually (WHO, 2024)

• The total direct costs of unintentional injury in 2018 in Canada was 24.26 billion, including  deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits and disability (Parachute, 2026)

• Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years world-wide with more than half being vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists (WHO, 2026)

• There are great inequities in who gets injured, including differences by age, sex and income status, with the greatest burden in lower income countries

Injuries are predictable and preventable.

Continued work to examine trends, determinants and evidence-based interventions is essential