Accidents

Introduction

Accidents are the greatest single threat to life for children and young people. Falls, road traffic accidents (RTAs), fire and suffocation and drowning cause the largest number of fatalities in older people.

Facts and Figure

During the period 2017 to 2019, approximately 205 people died from accidental injury in Blackpool, an average of 68 a year. The directly standardised mortality rate (in this case per 100,000 population) is calculated to allow comparison between geographies of different population sizes and with different gender and age make ups. Figure 1 shows Blackpool's directly standardised rate (DSR) of mortality from accidents is significantly higher than the average of English local authorities.

Figure 1 -Mortality from Accidents 2015-19 - Lower Tier Local Authority¹

Source: NHS Digital, Compendium: Mortality, 2021

Figure 2 shows the trend in mortality from accidents, comparing Blackpool to the North West and England and Wales. Nationally and in the North West the mortality rate from accidents has risen slightly between 2012 and 2019. Blackpool's mortality rate  has remained above the national rate with a sharper rise over the same period.

Figure 2 - Trend in Accident Mortality 1995-2019