The fatality rate for black children as a result of unintentional injury decreased by 48 percent from 1987 to 2005, but accidents remain the second biggest killer of black children ages 14 and under, according to a report by Safe Kids USA, an organization that promotes child safety.

Unintentional injury is the leading killer of children 14 and under in the country and many of these accidents are preventable, the organization said. The No. 1 cause of accidental death was motor vehicle accidents in which the child is an occupant, followed by drowning, pedestrian accidents, fire and choking.

“What we found is that parents are not as concerned about unintentional threat and injury and the threat to their children as they should be,” according to a letter accompanying the report.

“While most parents consistently practice certain safety behaviors, like making sure young children are buckled in an appropriate car seat or booster seat, they are not consistently practicing others, like requiring children to always wear a helmet while biking,” wrote Mitch Stoller, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, and Martin R. Eichelberger, M.D., founder and director of the organization.

Each year, the organization highlights measures to help ensure the safety of children. This year’s report found that parents were concerned primarily about health issues, crime and safety, but tended to overlook seemingly smaller, but just as threatening  problems, such as not keeping a better eye on children in the bathtub, keeping hazardous materials out of reach and changing smoke detector batteries regularly.

The report, released late last month, tracked the rates and demographic trends of unintentional childhood injuries and deaths. Safe Kids USA also monitors injury prevention strategies at local, state and national levels to determine their effectiveness.

From 1987 to 2005, the overall fatality rate in the U.S. from unintentional injury declined from 15.4 per 100,000 to 8.5 per 100,000. Children ages four and under have the highest accidental death rate, while the rate fell 50 percent for children ages five to nine and by 35 percent for children 10 to 14. Boys also had a higher mortality rate than girls.

“Males generally have a higher rate of injury than females,” the report said. “This can be attributed to a variety of factors, including biology (differences in temperament), exposure to risky behavior, gender socialization and cognitive differences.”

By race and ethnicity, American Indian/Alaskan native children had the highest fatality rate at 15.3 per 100,000. Even with the significant decline in fatalities among black children, African-Americans had the second highest mortality rate from unintentional injury, according to the report, followed by Hispanics, Whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders.

“Racial and ethnic disparities in unintentional injury rates have more to do with economic conditions than with biological differences, and living in an impoverished community is a significant predictor of injury,” the report said.

More consistent behavior among parents could go a long way in improving safety, the report said, including closer supervision of young children, making sure children are wearing helmets when biking, skateboarding and skating, and testing smoke alarm batteries. The report also called for federal incentive grant programs to encourage states to pass seat belt and booster seat enforcement laws, pass laws requiring fencing/barriers around residential pools and spas and the engagement of public-private partnerships in injury prevention efforts.

“We must continue to educate parents and children on safe behavior and help establish good safety habits as social norms,” the report said. “It is also essential that safety devices be distributed at low cost to families in need. In addition, further environmental changes and improved child safety laws can help reduce risks to children.”