Understanding and preventing injuries.

Unintended injuries have become the third most frequent cause of death in the United States, and the relative importance of homicide and suicide has also increased. In recent decades, death rates from highway crashes and fires have fallen, and experience indicates that serious injuries in the workplace can be drastically reduced. Less progress has been made in preventing homicide and suicide. Tasks for the future include more research on the efficacy of preventive interventions, improvement of injury surveillance and prevention programs, and education of children and adults about injury prevention. Family physicians can play an important role in injury prevention efforts.