Suicide claims more Americans than cars New figures reveal suicide rates among US adults aged 35-64 have risen 28% over the last decade. SUICIDE rates among US adults aged 35-64 are rising - with more Americans now taking their lives than dying in car accidents, according to new data. Motor vehicle accidents killed 33,687 Americans in 2010 - well below the 38,364 who died from suicide in the same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The spike in suicides was seen exclusively among US adults aged 35-64, with a 28 per cent rise over the last decade. And the numbers were even more stark for those in their 50s - part of the "baby-boomer" generation born after World War II - with a nearly 50 per cent rise in suicide rates. "Suicide is a tragedy that is far too common," said CDC Director Tom Frieden. This report highlights the need to expand our knowledge of risk factors so we can build on prevention programs. Previous research and prevention efforts have focused on the young and the elderly but the CDC said the new study shows programs should be expanded to the middle-aged. "It is important for suicide prevention strategies to address the types of stressors that middle-aged Americans might be facing and that can contribute to suicide risk," said Linda Degutis, director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The report says the rising suicide rate may be linked to the economic crisis - noting that suicides have historically spiked in times of hardship - or to an increase in the availability of prescription painkillers. The authors also suggested the increase in suicides among baby boomers in their 50s may be a quirk of their generation, who also showed unusually high rates of suicide in their teenage years. In 2010, an average of nearly 18 out of every 100,000 people aged 35-64 died from suicide - four more than a decade earlier, the CDC said. Among non-Hispanic Whites and Native Americans, annual suicide rates leaped 40 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively. Nearly three times as many men as women in this age group killed themselves: about 27 men compared to eight women per 100,000 in 2010. And the CDC found that, while most suicides were committed with guns, the number of people dying from suffocation and hanging rose by more than 80 per cent over the last decade. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78