The number of people who commit suicide in the U.S. has drastically increased while deaths from car accidents have dropped, making suicide the leading cause of injury death.

Suicides caused by falls or poisoning have risen significantly and experts fear that there could be many more unaccounted for, particularly in cases of overdose.

'Suicides are terribly under-counted,' said Ian Rockett, author of the study. 'I think the problem is much worse than official data would lead us to believe. We have a situation that has gotten out of hand.'

He added that his goal is to see the same attention paid to other injuries as has been paid to reducing the number of deaths in traffic accidents.

The results were compiled using National Center for Health Statistics data gathered from 2000 to 2009.

Researchers noted a 25 per cent decrease in fatal car accidents, researchers reported, while deaths from falls rose 71 per cent, poisoning 128 per cent and from suicide 15 per cent.

Higher automobile standards were credited for the decrease in deaths on the road, with harsher penalties for underage drinking and failing to wear seat belts named as contributing factors.

Previous research has suggested that suicide rates go up during recessions and times of economic crisis.

'Economic problems can impact how people feel about themselves and their futures as well as their relationships with family and friends,' Feijun Luo of CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention stated.

'Prevention strategies can focus on individuals, families, neighborhoods or entire communities to reduce risk factors.'

Suicide is now the most frequent cause of injury deaths, followed by car crashes, poisoning, falls and murder.

The study also looked at gender and race, concluding that fewer women died from the four main causes than men.

Hispanics were discovered to have fewer car crashes and suicides than whites but a higher murder rate.

In 2009, more than 37,000 Americans took their own lives, a number that the government and private groups such as Facebook are fighting to lower.

A suicide prevention program is being launched under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, backed by $56million of federal money.

The Act was signed by George Bush in 2004, in memory of suicide-victim Garrett, son of former U.S. Senator Gordon Smith.

Speaking at a September 10 news conference, Mr Smith said: 'Our goal in the next five years is to save 20,000 human lives.

'This issue touches nearly every family. It is something we can do something about. It's the work of angels.'

Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology, said while much is known about how to prevent suicides there are 'centuries of stigmatic attitudes' that need to be overcome.

'Both global and national increases in the number and rate of suicides should concern all of us,' he added, pushing for a 'collaborative effort to turn these many lives from despair and hopelessness to ones of meaning and brighter futures'.