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six years 3.5. From 1953 onwards the figure has been either one or two.
1959 is the first year in which it has been possible to record that there
were no deaths due to or associated with pregnancy or childbirth.
Deaths from Accidents
The three main causes of deaths from accidents are those which occur
on the road in which a motor vehicle is mostly involved, a variety of
deaths occurring in the home, and falls. Apart from those falling into
one of these three categories, accidents caused six deaths; two were the
result of drowning, one of a railway accident.
Deaths from Falls. Of the fourteen deaths from falls, all but four
were the result of falls of elderly persons occurring in their homes or
institutions in which they were living, including one which resulted from
a fall downstairs.
Road Accidents. The local figures of road accidents 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, five were of pedestrians of over seventy
years of age who were knocked down by a motor vehicle.
The local figures of road accidents for last year were much the same
as those of the previous year. The monthly average of accidents was
39.3 (main roads 30.5, other roads 8.8). Of the monthly average of 51.4
of the injured, 43.3 were slight (34 on main roads, 9.3 on others) and 81
serious (5.8 on main roads, 2.3 on others). There were in all eight fatalities,
six on the main and two on other roads.
Accidents in the Home. The local deaths from accidents in the home
this last year included seven of persons who died as the result of a fall
when in their homes or institutions where they were living; all were over
eighty years of age. Three persons died as the result of falls elsewhere;
all were over seventy years of age. Two persons died from consuming
poisons and five from coal gas poisoning. Burns caused the deaths of
three adults and one small child.
Falls. "Sixty per cent of all fatal home accidents are falls. Over
five thousand people die every year in Great Britain from this cause, the
chief victims are the elderly." The Council took part in the campaign
sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents which
was an extension of the Annual Home Safety Week run by the London
County Council. The object of the campaign was to draw attention to
the risk of falls in the home and to encourage practical action to make
the homes of elderly people safe from the risk of falls.
Burns and Scalds. Each year, more than 6,000 persons die in
England and Wales as the 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 or scalds caused by domestic accidents.