Facts and Figures
- About 1/3rd of the 3,250 home-fire deaths in 1998 occurred during the winter months.
- Each year, more than 200 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
- In 1998, 131,000 motor vehicle crashes occurred during sleet and snowy conditions.
- 30,000 resulted in injuries
- More than 600 resulted in deaths.
- Snow blowers are the fourth leading cause of finger amputations associated with consumer products.
- These machines cause more than 5,300 emergency department visits and 1,000 amputations each year.
- Nine deaths related to snow blowers have been reported since 1992.
- Each year, more than 700 people die of hypothermia (low body temperature) caused by extended exposure to cold temperatures both indoors and out.
- Fireplaces or chimneys rank first in the number of fires among types of heating equipment.
- Most of these were caused by creosote build-up.
- Space heaters were involved in 25% of the home heating fires but resulted in 74% of the deaths.
- The leading cause of space heater fires was combustibles too close to the heater, except for fixed electric space heaters, where the leading cause was equipment unattended.
Links to More Facts and Figures