Unintentional Injuries: What Are They and How to Prevent Them

Unintentional injuries affect everyone, but for some, it only causes mild pain and for others devastating health consequences. Read on to learn more.

No one wakes up in the morning planning to get hurt. Still, 39.5 million Americans needed ambulatory care for unintentional injuries in 2016. Though many learned about fires, car safety, and diseases in school, preventing unintentional injury remains a common blind spot. Beyond the cause of unintentional accidents is the danger of the mind. Assuming, Oh, that’ll never happen, will ensure being unprepared.

Unintentional injuries are the number one cause of death between people from ages 1-44. So it’s time to talk about it. The only way to prevent accidental injuries is to know about them. 

Here’s where to start.

Unintentional Injuries

The definition of unintentional injuries has two parts. The first is that it’s an unexpected, unanticipated event that causes minor to severe damage. The second part is that it’s preventable.  Unintentional Injuries Examples: Preparing for natural disasters, tornados, and power outages is important, but those are only half the picture. When it comes to day-to-day living, safety concerns are everywhere. The most common unintentional injuries come from:

• Drowning – in tubs, lakes, and pools
• Poisoning – from snakes, carbon monoxide, pesticides, chemicals in the home, alcohol
• Accidental drug overdose – from prescribed drugs, hard drugs or mixed substances
• Car accidents – including motorcycles, bikers, and pedestrians
• Falls inside or outside the home
• Fires and burns

Having a greater awareness of unintentional injuries is a promising gateway to safety. Like soon-to-be-parents baby-proof their home, everyone should take steps to accident-proof their life.

What Is Unintentional Injury?

Getting hurt is bad enough; it’s worse when it is preventable. You’re going about your day, and the next thing you know, you’re sitting in the office of your accident injury doctor, saying, I can’t believe that happened. Most people rely on science or statistics to dictate their fate. If the chances of getting struck by lightning are slim, we don’t prepare for it. This mentality fuels unintentional accidents.

There’s merit to the phrase expect the unexpected. Living a smart life means living a safe one.

Ways to Combat Unintentional Accidents In addition to schools, authorities, and corporations better educating the masses, there are steps everyone can take to achieve greater safety. It comes down to training your mind. Ask yourself:

• What would it look like to accident-proof my life? 
• When entering a room, what poses safety concerns? How can I combat them, if necessary?
• What kind of household chemicals do I use? How might I choose differently?
• When have I last checked my carbon monoxide levels?
• Does my house pose fall risks?
• How cautious of a driver am I?
• Do I wear a helmet when riding my bike?
• Where is my mind? Am I distracted during tasks or present in them? How can I make sure to be more alert in my every-day living?

Ultimately, accident-proofing means caring for your health always, through these unexpected ways. 

There’s a reason why in sports they say defense wins championships. Playing smart ensures success. Being safe comes down to being intentional. Ask more questions. Be aware of the spaces you inhabit. Making mistakes comes with being human, but we don’t need unintentional injuries to learn lessons. The good news is that being human means we’re all capable of doing better. So how might you live smarter? To learn more about health and wellness tips, check out our other blog posts!