S. Korea ranks 3rd in accident-related deaths among OECD nations: report

S. Korea ranks 3rd in accident-related deaths among OECD nations: report
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SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea ranked third among the member nations of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in terms of
accident-linked deaths for children, a report showed Wednesday.

South Korea reported that 8.7 out of every 100,000 children under 15 years old
died annually at the end of 2005 due to traffic accidents, drowning, falls and
other injuries, according to the report by the National Statistical Office.
It is the third highest rate among the 25 member countries of the OECD following
Mexico and the United States which reported death rates of 13.6 and 9.2
respectively. The OECD average stood at 5.6, the report showed.
Between 1991 and 1995, South Korea had topped the list in terms of child death
rates with 25.6 out of every 100,000 losing lives due to accidents.
Traffic accidents accounted for 42.7 percent of the total deaths, followed by
drowning with 20 percent. Falls made up 7.9 percent of deaths, while murder and
suicides took up 8.7 percent and 5.3 percent, the report showed.
Accident-linked deaths of children have been dropping since peaking in 1988. In
2007, the number of children's deaths caused by accidents plunged by a third to
561 compared with a decade ago thanks to a sharp decline in children-involved
traffic accidents, according to the report.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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