What is Safe Communities America?

Safe Communities America, an accreditation program that recognizes communities prioritizing safety, gets citizens involved and keeps them engaged in reducing injuries and deaths. Click the arrow in the top right corner of this video to share on your webpage or on social media.

Committed to Improving Safety in Communities

Injuries, both intentional and unintentional, are the third leading cause of death in the United States. And, injury deaths in homes and communities have steadily increased since 1992.

The Safe Communities model is a long standing approach to reducing injuries and deaths. It works through engaging local partners who care about safety, using data to identify leading causes of injury, making a plan to address the issues using proven methods and measuring success.

Safe Communities America® is an accreditation program of the National Safety Council that supports and recognizes communities across the U.S. committed to improving safety at the community level.

Success in Local Safe Communities
- In a recent NSC study, after 10 years of rising injury rates in one community, the decision to seek Safe Community accreditation was followed by a two-year decline in injury hospitalizations; nearly 300 hospitalizations may have been prevented, saving the community more than $14 million in healthcare costs
- A long-standing smoke alarm installation program in one Safe Community has shown that fire deaths have been reduced by 75%
- A comprehensive approach to reducing prescription drug overdoses in a Midwestern Safe Community has resulted in 4.5 tons of medications collected in drop boxes, hundreds of clinicians trained in effective pain management without opioids, a communitywide campaign on addiction and treatment, and training for first responders on naloxone use
Find out how your community can become an accredited Safe Community.