Accidents: Sharp Increase in Injured Children Last Year

In the work and school sectors, 112,000 injuries were recorded, while traffic accidents resulted in 92,100 injuries. The director of the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV), Christian Schimanofsky, expressed concern about the trend among children aged zero to 14, as the number of injuries in this group disproportionately increased by five percent to almost 122,000.

Household accidents not at the top only for teenagers

The majority of injuries in children (41 percent) occur in the household sector, while among teenagers, the leisure sector - including recreational sports - leads to injuries most frequently at 48 percent. In the senior age group, household accidents dominate again (67 percent), mainly involving falls in their own homes. There were significant increases, especially in team sports and adventure sports like climbing. Most injuries were recorded in Vienna with 157,000 people, and the fewest in Burgenland with 25,000 affected individuals.

More than 3,000 deaths from accidents

Recently, the number of accident fatalities has also increased. In previous years, the figure was significantly below 3,000 victims. In 2023 - figures from the previous year are not yet available - the number of people killed in accidents was 3,094. "The accident situation in Austria causes immense suffering every year, ties up enormous personnel resources in hospitals, and naturally also increases social expenses in many ways, as medical treatments and rehabilitation measures are associated with high costs," said Schimanofsky. Therefore, every accident that does not happen in the first place is a tremendous advantage for all those affected - both in terms of quality of life and financially.

Increase also in treatment costs after accidents

"We demand an intensification of nationwide accident prevention programs, we advocate for more awareness campaigns as well as the introduction of effective safety technologies," said the KFV director. "However, more research projects are also necessary to better understand the causes of accidents and to develop effective countermeasures." Therefore, the board surveys affected people every year. In the previous year alone, around 18,800 interviews were conducted with accident victims in the emergency departments of 15 hospitals in Austria, who were treated there and the data extrapolated. The treatment costs have even increased by five percent compared to the year 2023 to around 2.74 billion euros, as the figures showed.

Prevention "most important tool" against accidents

"The most important tool is prevention," said Schimanofsky. Because actually, "in the area where you feel the safest," namely the home, most accidents happen. Removing tripping hazards like cables or rugs, better lighting, fire protection measures, child safety, or safely storing cleaning agents are just some of the prevention tips that can be implemented in the household. According to the Austrian Insurance Association VVO, increased prevention could prevent much suffering and also significantly relieve the state social system. The private insurers themselves have recently provided benefits in accident insurance amounting to 840 million euros per year.

Accidents in leisure time as a risk for the insured

The high number of injuries in sports and leisure areas poses not only a human component but also a high financial risk for those affected. Because unlike work accidents or school-related accidents, leisure accidents do not fall under the responsibility of statutory accident insurance providers. Although the primary care of injuries is covered by statutory health insurance for their insured even in leisure accidents, in the case of permanent disability and occupational rehabilitation measures, there is no benefit from statutory accident insurance, emphasized Ralph Müller, VVO Vice President.

(APA/Red)

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