Page 25 - Big Book of Accident Prevention

Frequently asked 25 questions Question Answer Question Answer How big an issue is this? Accidents are the principal cause of premature, preventable death (measured in What do people think of accident Unlike many other public health interventions, the audience is generally receptive. Preventable Years of Life lost (PrYLL)) for most of a person’s life – see pages 8 and 9 prevention interventions? People quickly understand that this knowledge can help them and their loved ones, for more detail. by applying “common sense” advice, based on an understanding of the risk. Mums are avid receivers of our education on keeping young children safe. School-age children love safety and are motivated by altruism. Young adults and How does this compare to other Measured in PrYLL, accidents are the principal mortality issue up to age 60. It is young drivers are more of a challenge, but we have evolved methods of engaging public health issues? only when a person enters their mid-70s that preventable cancers become a more them in a positive way, by appealing to their need to develop skills. The elderly know significant issue. In the mid-80s, heart disease overtakes accidents which then move that they are being helped in a practical way, to stay safe and healthy to maintain into third place. However, measured in PrYLL, they are at least the third biggest their quality of life. cause of mortality for the whole of life expectancy and maintain a strong position in this table even in the later stages of life. Is there a deprivation dimension Children of parents who have never worked or who are long-term unemployed are to accident prevention? 13 times more likely to die from unintentional injury, and 37 times more likely to Why do accidents deserve to be Accidents are relatively easy to prevent, mainly through education and information. die as a result of exposure to smoke, fire or flames than children of parents in higher given a high priority? Interventions are both inexpensive and effective, saving money and suffering. managerial and professional occupations. The same children are 20 times more likely They are also quick to materialise, making their value apparent. These factors have to die as pedestrians than children of parents from higher managerial groups. long been understood. It is only now, since our PrYLL analysis has shown that we have an excellent alignment of efficacy, cost and significance, that we can say with confidence that accidents should be the No. 1 priority for public health. How do we rank compared In road safety terms we are excellent. We are poor at home and leisure safety to other countries? interventions. In particular, Canada, the Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries have much more success in these areas than we have demonstrated recently. Does accident prevention work? Every intervention that we have designed has reduced accidents and saved money. We can learn from them and apply some of their ideas. RoSPA hosts the European In recent times, our focus on outcomes has produced ever-better results. A well- Child Safety Alliance, which compares best practice internationally. designed programme can reduce accidents by 20–30% in the target population/ area. The return on investment typically ranges between 3 times to 10 times. See the Case Studies for more examples. Is accident prevention There are many crossovers with, for example, fire prevention, alcohol abuse, exercise a stand-alone issue? and sport, wellbeing and health-visiting. We want to design interventions so that they have positive consequences on other public health areas and we see our Is this the “nanny state”? At RoSPA, we believe that life should be “as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible”. subject as an important part of a complex picture. People need to be empowered (through knowledge) to make their own safety decisions. After that, they should be expected to take responsibility for themselves and their loved ones. This is the opposite of the “nanny state”, which simply accepts How well do you work with Although we are experts on accident prevention, our value lies in understanding the increase in accidents, and offers more and more treatment, without attempting other stakeholders? the big picture and tailoring it to local needs. Ours is a multi-faceted issue and it to stop the accidents from happening in the first place. needs the coordination of a range of experts and delivery partners to gain the right outcomes for each area. Coordinating and leveraging their contributions is our skill. How do we assess our need and Using local injury data, it is possible to identify the most productive areas for develop appropriate plans? development. RoSPA can help you to analyse this data and design a plan to make Is there scope for innovation? Every successful public health intervention originated as an innovation and there is the most cost-effective interventions. huge scope to invent and deliver new and exciting solutions to old problems. It’s all about firing people’s imagination to do something creative to save lives and reduce injuries. How will we know if we have Every local plan needs a before/after evaluation to measure outcomes and prove been successful? value for money. RoSPA can advise on how to design professional measurement into the plan, so that its value can be seen by all, including local stakeholders and taxpayers. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents