Facts

The number of people who die in accidents, and of heart attacks, account for a high proportion of the total number of deaths in the UK each year.

Heart attack

Heart and circulatory disease is the UK's biggest killer. Almost 2.6 million people have coronary heart disease (CHD) and, together with cardiovascular disease (CVD), it accounts for over 300,000 deaths each year.

In the UK, someone has a heart attack every two minutes, and half of those who have heart attacks die before they reach hospital. Each year, smoking causes over 30,000 deaths from CVD, while physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are major risk factors for CHD.

Accidents in the home

Each year, in the UK, more than 4,000 people die in accidents in the home, and 2.8 million are injured.

In this section

Road accidents

Between April 2005 and March 2006, approximately 3,200 people were killed on Britain's roads, with almost 270,000 casualties in total, and 29,000 seriously injured.

Burns

Approximately 250 people die from burns and 130,000 require treatment for burns in the UK each year.

Drowning

Each year, in the UK, roughly 500 people, mainly children, die from drowning.

Electricity

Approximately 50 people are killed, and 4,000 people require treatment from electricity related injuries, every year in the UK.

Poisoning

Approximately 50,000 people require treatment for poisoning, in the UK each year. This includes accidental poisoning, particularly in children, and over-doses.

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