More must be to done to look at causes of accidents in EU - Lynne

10.49.21am GMT Wed 13th Dec 2006

Older people are more than twice as likely to be the victim of a fatal accident according to a new report presented in the European Parliament and Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne says we should be looking closely at the reasons behind accidents so we better prevent them in the future.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Lib Dem European spokesperson on Health and Safety and Co-chair of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Aging, Euro-MP Liz said:

"Approximately 235,000 citizens in the EU die every year as a result of an accident or violence-related injuries and this not only affects the victims but has wider consequences with hospital costs and lost working hours.

"And while people over 65 represent 16% of the EU total population, they make up 40% of victims of fatal injuries so we should be doing much more to look at why they are more at risk than others and how we can help them.

"This report also highlights the fact that the unemployed, ethnic minority groups, migrant workers, refugees, disabled people and homeless people are particularly at risk and that poorer countries have much higher injury rates than wealthier ones.

"We are getting much better in the EU at collecting good data on accidents and injuries but we must make sure that it is relevant and is properly analysed and shared so risks can be cut and trouble spots avoided."

Editor's Notes

For more information on the report please go to: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A6-2006-0398+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN

In the EU, there are more than 600 fatalities caused by injury per day and injuries account for about seven million hospital admissions and 65 million medical treatments every year.

Injuries are the fourth most common cause of death in EU Member States after cardiovascular diseases, cancer and respiratory diseases.