While car-related (and most recently, river-related) deaths tend to grab most of the headlines we see everyday, the Superior Telegram reports that an often overlooked malady claims more lives in Wisconsin every year – even more than car crashes. The hidden killer? Falling down.

• Unintentional falls killed 918 people in 2008, nearly twice the number of people who died from car accidents, according to a new report by Wisconsin’s Health Department.
• ... The report says the majority of fall-related deaths involve seniors, but one group had just as many fatal spills: young males age 14 and younger.

Twice the number of people who died in car crashes? Not sure how many dollars have been poured into producing “blood on the highway” style driver’s ed films for Wisconsin teens, but perhaps a movie called “Hold on to the Handrail” should be commissioned for the pre-teen boys of America’s Dairyland.