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The cost of accidental injury and death
Accidental injury and death places a huge emotional burden on victims, their families and society as a whole. Accidents, injuries, crime and anti social behaviour also constitutes a significant financial cost – not just to the public purse but to business. A permanent centre would have many benefits. Not least it would help to create a culture of safety as part of normal life, making safer and happier people, safety ready school leavers and graduates, confident parents, and independent older people to name but a few. In addition to the emotional cost and tragedy of accidental death and injury, theres the cost to public purse. Taking just road safety on its own; each fatal road accident costs the economy £1.9 million. In 2009 alone there were 31 road deaths in Grampian, amount to a total cost of almost £60 million. The cost to business just in lost output alone made up almost £20 million of that figure. And that didn’t include occupational and rehabilitation costs or the emotional impact of bereavement or injury on a victim’s family and colleagues. There is a similar cost attached to deaths from accidents in the home. And these figures don’t include the costs of serious injuries as a result of accidents on the road and in the home. All we need to raise to realise our dream of creating Risk Ready is £600,000 – a mere quarter of the total cost of road deaths in 2009. If we can save just one life we will not only have achieved our goal of stopping unnecessary grief and devastation for one family, but we will have demonstrated that investing in Risk Ready really is a spend to save. |
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