in the European Union

PREFACE
Providing health information at the community level is one of the core responsibilities of the European
Union in the field of public health. One part of this task is to provide information on injuries (intentional
and unintentional) with specific information about circumstances and causes, such as settings,
activities, products and services involved.
INJURIES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
In June 2006 the first report on “Injuries in the European Union” was published. It was a first attempt to
give a comprehensive view of injuries in Europe at a glance and to combine the majority of the available
injury data and statistics at an EU level. It was very well received by the community working in the field
of injury research, prevention and health policy makers. The main findings of this report were part of a
Communication from the Commission to the European parliament and the Council on ‘Actions for a Safer Europe’ (June 2006)
and a consequent Council Recommendation on ‘The prevention on injury and the promotion of safety’ (May 2007).
These findings are increasingly alarming health administrations that are seeking opportunities to ensure the health and safety
of their citizens.
This second report “Injuries in the European Union” provides updated figures and additional information not previously
published, such as pilot data on intentional injuries.
In summary:
Injuries in the European Union account for about 250 000 fatalities.
Injuries are the fourth most common cause of death in the community.
In children, adolescents and young adults injuries due to accidents and violence are the leading cause of death.
The risk of an injury is unequally distributed in Member States and in social groups, and varies by age and gender
as well. The risk of dying from an injury is five times greater in the Member State with the highest injury rate then in
the one with the lowest rate.
The report is based on the tremendous work of members in the EuroSafe network on injury data and the IDB network,
the strong support of DG Sanco units, and the dedicated team in my institute: Robert Bauer, Nina Zimmermann, Andrea
Angermann, Georg Nossek and the international reviewers Saakje Mulder and Nadia Minicuci. Thanks are also due to Joanne
Vincenten, Justin Cooper and Jagruti Haas from EuroSafe. Also, I express my gratitude to the many other colleagues who
assisted with organisational and scientific support.
This report has become a valuable instrument for placing injury prevention higher on the health policy agenda of the
European Union.
Rupert Kisser
Head of Division Home, Leisure & Sports in the Austrian Road Safety Board (Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit)
Chairman of the European Association for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (EuroSafe)