Leading causes of death among children and adolescents in the United States, 1999-2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released updated official mortality data that showed 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States in 2020 — a new peak. It marks the first time since the CDC started recording leading causes of death among children that firearm-related injuries overtook motor vehicle crashes as the No. 1 cause. Children and adolescents are defined as persons 1 to 19 years of age. Data: CDC WONDER. Graphic: Goldstick, et al., 2022 / NEJM