No states earn overall ‘A’ grade on NSC State of Safety report

Twenty-six states failed to earn a passing grade and none earned an overall “A” in The State of Safety, a report from the National Safety Council that assessed states’ efforts to protect residents from the leading causes of preventable deaths and injuries.

The report, released June 27 in conjunction with National Safety Month, analyzed laws, policies and regulations surrounding issues related to poisonings – including drug overdoses – motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, choking and fires. The report includes overall grades as well as grades in the categories of Road Safety, Home and Community Safety, and Workplace Safety. In addition, states received ratings of either “On Track,” “Developing” and “Off Track” in those sections.

California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C., all received overall “B” grades, according to the report. Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming each received “F” grades.

“The cultural novocaine has to wear off,” NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a June 27 press release. “Safety is no accident. We lose more than 140,000 people because of events we know how to prevent. This report provides states with a blueprint for saving lives, and we hope lawmakers, civic leaders, public health professionals and safety advocates use it to make their communities measurably safer.”