William Eichler 01 March 2023

Pedestrian falls cost taxpayers up to £500m a year

Pedestrian falls cost taxpayers up to £500m a year image
Image: P.Cartwright/Shutterstock.com.

Pedestrian falls on dangerous pavements potentially cost taxpayers up to £500m a year, a new report has revealed.

Published by walking charity Living Streets, Pedestrian Slips, Trips and Falls found that around a third of people aged 65 and over, and around half of people aged 80 and over, fall at least once a year.

Drawing on local authority surveys, interviews with highway officers and other sources, the report estimated that 10% of people over 65 will fall outside, which means there could be as many as a million outdoor falls among older adults in England each year.

Nearly one in three (31%) older adults are put off from walking because they worry that they will fall on uneven and poorly maintained pavements, with half (48%) saying they would walk more if pavements were better maintained.

Older people are disproportionately affected by falls. Around 30% of people older than 65 and 50% of people older than 80 fall at least once a year. This has been estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3bn per year.

The charity recommends investing over £1.6bn to fix pavements across the country, a figure derived from research commissioned by the Department of Transport (DfT). They estimate this investment could lead to reductions in health and social care costs of up to £500m a year.

The report acknowledges that the £500m figure is based on research in Torbay, which is not representative of England as a whole.

Author of the report, Dr Rachel Lee, policy and research manager, Living Streets said: ‘Poor pavements have a real cost with hospital admissions due to trips and falls placing a huge burden on NHS and local authority budgets.

‘Prevention is better than cure. We need to prioritise funding for safe and hazard-free pavements, so older people can enjoy the health and social benefits that come from walking.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Adult Social Care Support Worker - Technology Enabled Care

Essex County Council
£25395.00 - £32131.00 per annum
Adult Social Care Support Worker - Technology Enabled CareFixed Term, Full Time£25,391 to £32,131 Per AnnumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Placement Officer

Essex County Council
£28220.00 - £33200.00 per annum + + 26 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension
Placement OfficerPermanent, Full Time£28,220 to £33,200 Per AnnumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Engineer x 2

Hounslow London Borough Council
£47,532 –£55,620 per annum
Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be. Hounslow (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recuriter: Hounslow London Borough Council

Senior Highways Engineer

Hounslow London Borough Council
£50,754 – £53,607 per annum
Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be. Hounslow (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recuriter: Hounslow London Borough Council

Customer Service Adviser

Oxfordshire County Council
£24404 - £24790
You will be the Customer Service Adviser at Abingdon Library. Customer Service Advisers are the first point of contact with library customers and library partners. The role involves continual interaction with users of the library, face to face, via email Abingdon
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council
Linkedin Banner