A report published by the European Association for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (EuroSafe) on 16 June 2014 once again highlights the need for a robust injury data system in Europe.‘Injuries in the EU: Summary of injury statistics for the years 2010-2012’ shows that the data currently available in Europe is not precise or complete and therefore does not contribute to enhanced injury prevention.
Existing data does not, for example, provide information about the causes of injuries. Toy Industries of Europe’s (TIE) Director General, Catherine Van Reeth, explains: ‘In the case of a child tripping over a train set that was not tidied away or being hurt by a ball kicked by a playmate, it is inaccurate to claim that these injuries were caused by a toy. In such instances, the toy was involved in the accident but did not cause it. This is an important distinction.’
Accurate information about the real circumstances in which injuries occur, user behaviour at the time of the accident, and whether a product causes or is merely involved in an accident as well as data about all product categories involved in injuries would permit manufacturers to design their products with ultimate injury prevention in mind. In light of this, TIE supports the introduction of a correctly developed, managed and funded Europe-wide accident and injury system and is working with other European consumer and trade associations to press for the development of such a system.
