Children Under 14

Each year, more than 775,000 kids are treated in ERs for sports-related injuries.²  In addition to sports injuries, the most common childhood injuries are:

• Falls. About 8,000 children are treated in U.S. emergency rooms for fall-related injuries each day. Playgrounds, especially slides and monkey bars, are some of the most common causes of injury.³
• Cuts and puncture wounds.  Most are related to another injury like a bad fall, but accidents involving kitchen and other household items are common too. 
• Foreign bodies. Accidental ingestion or inhalation is the fourth most common reason for an ER trip for kids between one and four years old.⁴
• Burns. Accidents involving flames, hot metals, and liquids are most common among young children. 

Young Drivers 

This age group is involved in a disproportionately high number of car accidents. Factors contributing to higher risk include inexperience, distractions like phones or other passengers, speeding, and impaired driving.

The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day—referred to as the “100 deadliest days” —are nationally known as the most dangerous time for teen drivers, as the average number of deadly teen driver crashes climbs 15% compared to the rest of the year.⁶ 

Young and Middle-Aged Adults 

Motor vehicle accidents remain a significant risk for people of all ages, most commonly due to distraction, fatigue, reckless behavior, or impairment. The next two most common injuries for young and middle-aged adults are:

• Sports and recreational injuries. In 2023, 3.7 million people were treated in ERs for sports and recreational injuries. The activities most frequently associated with these injuries are exercise, cycling, and basketball.⁷
• Overuse Injuries.  Tendonitis and strains also become more common in middle-aged adults. 

Older Adults 

As we age, mental reaction, situational awareness, vision, and motor skills may not be as sharp as they once were. Falls and motor vehicle crashes are the two most common causes of traumatic brain injury in older adults.⁸ 

• Falls. An older adult falls every second, resulting in nearly one million hospitalizations every year, most often due to head injury or hip fracture.⁹
• Motor vehicle crashes. Over 500 older adults are injured in car crashes each day.¹⁰ Reduced reaction time, difficulty with night driving, medical conditions, and medication side-effects all contribute to accidents involving this age group. 

Accident Insurance

Your health insurance will typically help cover the costs of treating injuries, but it won’t necessarily cover all expenses related to an accident, including your share of the medical costs. Accident insurance can help cover co-pays and deductibles, as well as other non-medical expenses like transportation and lost income. 

We’re all at risk for accidents, so consider Accident insurance for your whole family.

¹ “Emergency Department Visits,” National Department of Health Statistics, CDC.gov, 2023.

² “Sports Injury Statistics,” Stanford Medicine, stanfordchildrens.org, accessed March 2025. 

^3,4 “Seven of the most common childhood injuries and accidents,” HealthPartners.com, accessed March 2025. 

⁵ “Risk Factors for Teen Drivers,” CDC.gov, accessed March 2025.

⁶ “100 Safest Days of Summer,” The National Road Safety Foundation,” nrsf.org, accessed March 2025.

⁷ “Sports and Recreational Injuries,” NSC Injury Facts, https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/ accessed March 2025.

^8,9,10 “Common injuries as we age,” Centers for Disease Control, cdc.gov, August 2024.

Group Insurance coverages are issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a Prudential Financial company, Newark, NJ.

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