Introduction. The objective of this study is to measure and characterize deaths from accidents in daily life (AcVC) in France from 2000 to 2004. Method. The results were derived from an “accidents” list based on the External Causes of Injury category of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), and expressed in terms of numbers, crude rates, and age-standardized rates. Results. In 2004, there were 18,548 deaths from AcVC in metropolitan France (crude rate of 30.6 per 100,000). An excess mortality rate was observed among men, at 32.5 per 100,000 compared to 19.0 per 100,000 among women (male-to-female mortality rate ratio = 1.7). Two-thirds of deaths from stroke occurred after the age of 74. Falls (11.9/100,000), suffocation (3.6/100,000), drowning (1.5/100,000), poisonings (1.3/100,000), and fire-related accidents (0.70/100,000) were the leading causes of accidental death. A downward trend in the accidental death rate was observed between 2000 and 2004, particularly among those under 15 years of age. Discussion. AcVCs remain a major cause of death in France. The measurement of AcVC deaths remains subject to uncertainties due to the lack of precision in certification and the limitations of the International Classification of Diseases used for coding deaths. Many deaths could likely be prevented through appropriate preventive and regulatory measures.