In 1973, 18 032 young Americans, aged 15 to 24, died in motor vehicle accidents, 5182 were murdered, and 4098 committed suicide (1). The three main causes of death in this age group were all violent. During the same year, 425 children, aged 5 to 14, and 342, aged 1 to 4, were reported murdered. The actual figures for child murders are assumed to be very much higher.
The death rate, for ages 15 to 24, from all causes, was 19% higher in 1973 and 74 than it had been in 1960 and 61 (2). The rise was entirely due