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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2002

Navajo Nation tribal members have the highest accidental death rate, 138.5 per 100,000 people, of all Indian tribes.

When compared to all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Navajos are five times more likely to die of an accidental death than the population as a whole. Motor vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death for the nation's largest tribe.

The Associated Press quotes Paul Sherry, chief executive of the Alaska Native Medical Center as saying: "Living a Native lifestyle is a high-injury, hazardous situation."

The high rate of motor vehicle deaths is attributed to bad roads on the three-state Navajo Reservation. The tribe has about a quarter-million members.

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Accidents Lead in Navajo Deaths (AP 10/15)
Accidents Lead in Navajo Deaths (AP 10/15)