Accidents are a main cause of death, disability or loss of independence for older people, and are the leading cause of death for children and young people in the UK. The estimated cost to the NHS from accidental injury in England in 2000-01 was £2.2 billion, with the financial costs to society estimated at more than ten times this.
Children in particular are at risk from accidents in the home and car or pedestrian accidents. Falls are the most common cause of serious injury and accidental death in the home for older people.
There are lots of organisations that offer accident prevention advice, ranging from simple everyday things you can do to make your home safer, to specialist advice on specific hazards in the home, at work and on the road.
Follow the weblinks for more information on accident prevention from Leeds City Council services, as well as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), the Department of Health, the Child Accident Prevention Trust and the West Yorkshire Fire service.