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The local figures over the last few years have ranged from 10 to 23;
this last year it was 26. Of these, fifteen, all of males, occurred outside the
district. Of the eleven deaths which occurred in the district, eight (three
males and five females) were of pedestrians of over seventy years of age
who were knocked down by a motor vehicle.
Although there were no fatal road accidents amongst children in this
district, other districts did not enjoy the same freedom. In England and
Wales as a whole, road accidents account for one-third of the total
accidental deaths amongst children not injured or deformed at birth. For
every death, some fifty children are injured. During 1958, 717 children
under fifteen were killed in road accidents in Great Britain, this being
88 more than in 1957. In addition, 49,196 were injured, over 4,000 more
than in the previous year. The pre-school child is relatively heavily
involved, the accident often occurring when a vehicle engaged in local
deliveries is stationary for a while and is then driven off. The age of four
is one of risk because the child is starting to act independently of his
parents. Amongst juveniles, cyclists are a particularly vulnerable group.
Accidents in the Home. The local deaths from accidents in the
home this last year included eleven of persons who died as the result of a
fall when in their homes or institutions where they were living. Ten of
these were persons of over seventy years of age. Five persons died as the
result of falls elsewhere, only one of these being over seventy years of
age. Two persons died from consuming poisons and two from coal gas
poisoning.
Early in the year, the Ministry of Health issued circular 6/58 with a
memorandum on burns and scalds from which the following notes have
been taken:—
Each year more than 6,000 persons die in England and Wales as a
result of accidents in the home. Of these 700 are due to burns and scalds.
It is estimated that every year 50,000 persons need hospital treatment for
burns and scalds caused by domestic accidents. "There can be little
doubt that the majority of the burning and scalding accidents could be
avoided if adequate care were given to the construction, location and
handling of the causative agents."
Most of the deaths are of children under five or of old people.
Eighty per cent. of the deaths resulting from extensive burns are due
to ignition of clothing. Most of these are due to the clothing coming into
contact with a heating element or frame of an unguarded or inadequately
guarded fire. The type of fire was open 66, electric 24 and gas 5.
There are other causes of burning accidents ; but the chief preventive
measure is guarding the fire.
A second line of defence is the choice of safer garments for women
and children. It had up to this been thought that some fabrics were
dangerously flammable while others were relatively safe. It seems,
however, that this is not so as virtually all fabrics in common use for
clothing are flammable within fairly narrow limits. This makes it important
to choose sensible garments. Nightdresses account for a substantial
proportion of accidents and pyjamas are much safer, particularly for