You shut the front door on the world
and feel safe in your own home - but your confidence could be misplaced,
according to a new study.
Shocking accident statistics reveal
more people are killed in the home every week than die in road accidents.
In the United Kingdom 76 people are killed in domestic accidents
every week compared to 66 who die in road accidents. The causes
of death included fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, drowning,
accidental collisions and DIY accidents.
In 1999 more than 2.8 million people
needed hospital treatment following domestic accidents compared
to 320,310 after road accidents. Consumer Affairs Minister Kim Howells
describes the figures as ``worrying'', adding that all the deaths
are completely unnecessary.
``People are suffering from unnecessary
accidents in the home,'' he says. ``These are worrying figures which
can be reduced simply by changing behaviour. ``The most vulnerable
people are the elderly and the very young. We have launched specific
campaigns to target these groups to make sure that the home becomes
a safer place.''
The figures are part of the Department
of Trade and Industry's annual Home Accident Surveillance System
report. It shows that:
:: 76 people are killed in accidents
in the home every week
:: More than 1.2 million people
a year have to visit casualty after a fall in the home. This year
one in 12 people aged over 75 will go to casualty after a fall
:: Every day 55 pre-school children
go to casualty with burns and scalds sustained in their own home,
mostly from spilled cups of tea
:: There are 99,000 injuries every
year in DIY-related activities - 40,000 involving ladders
:: 590,000 people a year need emergency
treatment after colliding with an object or another person in the
home.
``It is worrying to see that so
many people are still being needlessly injured in the home each
year,'' says Sarah Colles, Home Safety Adviser for the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Accidents. ``Home safety is everyone's responsibility
and we should work together in a bid to raise home safety awareness.''
|