Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
30 November 2010
Accidents Cost Canadians
almost $20 Billion a Year
A report puts a dollar figure on the human tragedy
of accidents many of which are preventable
SMARTRISK is a national non-
The 124-
Human Cost of Accidents
Some of the numbers in the report illustrate the human pain and misery associated with accidents. In the year 2004:
- 3.1 million people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries;
- More than 210,000 Canadians spent at least one night in hospital;
- 5,023 individuals were left permanently and totally disabled; and,
- 62,563 were left with a permanent, partial disability.
“Suicide accounted for the most deaths, followed by transport incidents, then falls, while by far the greatest number of permanent disabilities resulted from falls.”
Most Injuries are Preventable
“The bottom line,” says the report, “is that injury is preventable through a combination of educational programs, environmental modifications, and enforcement mechanisms. Canadians need not spend nearly $20 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity due to injury…
“We know when they strike and under what conditions. We know who is at risk and who is not, and we increasingly know what works and what does not with respect to prevention.”
There are plenty of examples of how this can happen. Better road design, campaigns against drinking and driving, seat belts and airbags, and graduated driving licenses have all combined to reduce traffic deaths. But much more remains to be done when almost 3,000 people a year die in traffic accidents in Canada. The worldwide death toll is estimated at 1.2 million.
Campaigns in favour of wearing helmets while cycling and playing hockey have saved many lives and reduced serious injuries. Although it’s hard to see how the risk can be reduced for those who like to engage in extreme sports.
The report points out that, “In the period 1995-
Coordinated Accident Prevention Programs Needed
SMARTRISK says that a “national injury prevention strategy and complementary provincial
strategies can yield immediate and longer-
“Effective action to prevent injury will not eliminate these challenges but it can help to alleviate their impacts and the costly human and economic burden we all currently bear.
Injuries can be prevented, lives saved, and a significant drain on our public resources stopped.”
One example might be in the area of unintentional poisonings, which killed 944 Canadians in 2004. Most of these occur when children ingest medications or chemicals that have not be stored in a secure location. Such terrible tragedies could be greatly reduced through comprehensive education programs.
Image credits
W. Robert Howell
Eric Schmuttenmaer
Sources
“The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada.” SMARTRISK, August 2009.
“Accidents Cost Economy $19.8 Billion.” Andre Picard, Globe and Mail, August 19, 2009.
“Traffic Injury Research Foundation Finds Two-
© Canada and the World, November 2010
All rights reserved
Number of licensed drivers in Canada in 2006: 22.3 million
Number of licensed passenger vehicles: 18.7
Number of people killed in traffic accidents in Canada in 2006: 2,889
The SMARTRISK report calculates that injuries cost Canadians $10.7 billion in direct
medical costs and $9.1-
That works out to $621 for every man, woman, and child in the country.
FOUR WHEELS
BETTER THAN TWO
The number of motor vehicle accidents has been falling in recent years, however,
the reverse is the case with motorcycles. According to Ted Laturnus writing for The
Straight (February 2010) “the rate of motorcycle fatalities is on the rise, probably
because there are more bikes out there, especially bigger, more powerful ones. One
of the highest risk groups for speeding-