Deaths from dog bites surge more than 200% in a year, report shows

Deaths from dog bites surged by more than 200% in a year, according to a new report on accidental deaths and hospital admissions.

The data showed that deaths from dog bites rose from six in 2022 to 20 in 2023, with 12,423 people needing hospital treatment for dog bites in the 2023/24 year.

All told, dog bites rose by 11% from 2022/23 to 2023/24, according to the new report from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

More broadly, the report showed that accidents in general caused more than 23,000 deaths in 2023, and sent almost 900,000 people to hospital in 2023/24.

This represented an 8% increase in accidental deaths and a 3% rise in the rate of accident-related hospital admissions over one year, the charity said.

Falls remained the leading cause of accidental death, rising 12% over the previous year and 34% over two years earlier, and accounting for almost half (48%) of fatalities in 2023.

Among these, falls from stairs and steps were the most commonly identified cause of death.

Meanwhile, accidental deaths by poisoning rose 10% per capita in one year, making up more than a quarter (27%) of the total, with drug deaths making up the largest share of this category.

RoSPA highlighted the "particularly high lethality" of poisoning accidents, noting that despite the high number of deaths it caused, it accounted for just 3% of hospital admissions from accidents.

People were also more than twice as likely to die of an accident in the North East of England, Wales, or Scotland than in London, the figures suggested.

And those living in more deprived areas were "consistently" more at risk of hospital admission or death from accidents, with poorer housing conditions and higher risks at work among the contributing factors.

The report further showed that the most-deprived 10% were almost 85% more likely to die in an accident than the least-deprived 10%, and almost 10 times more likely to die from accidental poisoning.

It also found that men faced higher rates of accidental injury and death than women, while older people suffered a "disproportionately" high number of accidental injuries and deaths, especially as a result of falls.

Now RoSPA is calling on the government to introduce a national accident prevention strategy.

Its head, Becky Hickman, said: "Accidents devastate lives in an instant.

"They are often sudden, violent, and shocking, leaving families and communities to cope with consequences that can last a lifetime.

"What makes this devastation even harder to bear is the knowledge that so many of these incidents are entirely preventable."

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She continued: "Our Annual Review of Accidents shows we are still not doing enough to reduce avoidable harm, life-changing injuries and personal tragedies.

"People in Britain are at increasing and unacceptable risk of suffering a serious accident and it is those who are already vulnerable - young children, the elderly, and people in deprived communities - who are in the greatest danger.

"By learning from patterns of injury, and acting on the evidence, we can help ensure that individuals, communities, and the wider society are better protected from the consequences of accidental injury."

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