The leading cause of death in the U.S. for children 14 and younger is still unintentional injury, but the injury-related death rate for children in the United States has fallen 46 percent in the past 20 years, according to a report by the National Safe Kids Campaign.

The report says improved child safety seats, bicycle helmets and smoke alarms played a big role in reducing the death toll. For instance, bike helmets cut the risk of brain injury by 88 percent.

• Home fire-related deaths among children are down 55 percent.

• Child deaths in car crashes are down 10 percent over the past 18 years.

• Bicycle-related injury deaths are down 60 percent since the late 1970s.

Safe Kids says the better-build safety devices are easier to use and often cheaper, which (along with new federal and state laws) greatly increases their use.

Source: Press Release, "Childhood Unintentional Injury-Related Death Rate Drops by Nearly Half in Past Two Decades," December 16, 1999, National SAFE KIDS Campaign, 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20004, (202) 662-0600.