Q: There seem to be a lot of teenage suicides. What is the percentage of teenagers dying by suicide compared to traffic accidents?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Suicide was the second leading cause of death among teenagers (ages 13-19) in 2013, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 2,041 reported teen suicides that year, compared to 2,550 deaths as a result of motor vehicle accidents.
Motor vehicle deaths are part of a larger group called unintentional injury (4,034 deaths in 2013), which also includes poisoning, drowning, burns, falls and firearms, among others. Homicide – there were 1,490 in 2013 — was the third-leading cause of death, followed by cancer (819) and heart disease (347).
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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