Did You Know?

Egypt, which has one of the world's highest road fatality rates, passed a law in March 2000 obliging motorists to wear seat-belts. Since many cars lacked seatbelts, owners were given nine months to instal them. Seat-belt prices soared 1,000 per cent as traders cashed in on panic buying before the regulations took effect. Cairo police reported a 90 per cent success rate, crediting fear of high fines. The Cairo traffic department reported 3,265 seat-belt violations on New Year's Day, when the regulations took effect.
Reuters, from Independent Online, January 2, 2001

In 1996, US insurers paid out $250 million in dog bite claims. That number is estimated to have increased to $1 billion in 2000 because of an increase in reported dog bite incidents.
The Insurance Information Institute, January 24, 2001

Fire is still the biggest headache in industrial loss prevention. Sprinklers can control 96 per cent of all industrial fires. The four per cent that fail can always be traced back to poor practices, such as improper design or poor maintenance.
The ContinuityPlanner E-ZINE - January 3, 2001

A study by scientists at UC Berkeley and two environmental advocacy groups found dangerous exhaust levels in four Los Angeles school buses. Concentrations of diesel pollutants greatly exceeded limits established by the federal government to protect communities from toxic pollution at factories, oil refineries and small businesses. Diesel particles can aggravate, and even cause, allergic reactions. Three years ago, the state air board declared diesel exhaust a toxic air contaminant, citing evidence that diesel can cause respiratory disease, cancer and premature death.
Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2001

Falls account for 65 per cent of injuries among Canadian seniors and are estimated to cost Canadians 2.8 billion dollars annually, of which one billion are direct health care costs. They account for 84 per cent of injury related admissions to hospital, 40 per cent of admissions to nursing homes and a 10 per cent increase in home care services. Falls are also the leading cause of fatal injury among seniors.
Falls Prevention Initiative, Health Canada/Veterans Affairs Canada, Fact Sheet No. 2, August 2000

A national survey of 6,145 Canadian households found an active firearm ownership base of 2.3 million. The autumn 2000 survey found that about two million Canadian households (17 per cent) have at least one firearm compared to the 24 percent calculated from the average of the previous surveys. Eighty percent of these households have only one firearm and fewer than five percent have more than three firearms. One in three rural households have a firearm, while in urban areas, the figure is just over one in ten.
Canadian Firearms Centre, January 25, 2001

A 2000 public opinion poll found that 71 per cent of Canadians believe youth crime is on the rise. However, the number of youths charged with a Criminal Code offence actually dropped seven per cent in 1999, including a five per cent decline in violent crime and an 11 per cent decrease in property crime.
Prevention, National Crime Prevention Centre, Issue #3, Winter 2000-2001

Canada's murder rate is at its lowest point in three decades. Homicide statistics for 1999 show that 536 persons were killed, 22 fewer people than in 1998. One in eight were drug related, and 31 per cent were committed with a firearm. A total of 36 children were killed, down from 55 in 1998. Of the cases solved by police, almost 80 per cent of the children were killed by a parent and the rest were killed by a family acquaintance.
Canadian Security, November 2000 (based on Statistics Canada Homicide Statistics 1999)

A study of Australian union members found that 87 per cent of respondents knew about shouting and intimidation in the workplace, and 83 per cent said being bullied has affected their home and/or social life. As to who is doing the bullying, 77 per cent said it was a manager or supervisor and 21 per cent said it was a fellow worker. An employers' group has criticized the survey.
NSCA's Australian Safety, February 2001

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