The South West has the third highest rate of accidental death per capita of any English region according to a new report launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

The accidental death rate in the South West is currently 34.36 per 100,000 people, which is 17% higher than the average rate across England and the highest rate in the South.

Tragically, 1,981 lives were lost in the region because of preventable accidents in 2022.

Accidental deaths in the UK have reached an all-time high, with the rate increasing by 42% over the last decade, making them the second biggest killer of people under 40.

As well as the tragic human loss, preventable accidents cost the UK a massive £12 billion every year due to lost working days and medical care.

RoSPA’s new report reveals that you are substantially more likely to suffer a serious accident today than you were 20 years ago.

The rate of accidental deaths in the UK has increased by 42% in the last decade: accidents now take over 20,000 lives each year, which is more than the capacity of London’s O2 arena. Accidental death rates have risen in England (up 40%), Scotland (up 57%), Wales (up 41%) and Northern Ireland (up 56%) since 2013.

Accidents are the second biggest killer of people under 40 (after intentional injuries) and the most common cause of preventable death in children under 15.

RoSPA are calling for the Government to seize the initiative and create a National Accident Prevention Strategy. It’s impossible to arrest a crisis like this without a plan, RoSPA proposes that a National Accident Prevention Strategy be created and overseen by an individual minister without a portfolio.

This would enable the minister to treat accident prevention holistically, with the authority to attend the Cabinet and the ability to convene cross-departmental committees.