According to a report by the World Health Organisation, 42,000 youth under the age of 19 died as a result of accidents in Europe in the year 2004. Five out of six accidental deaths occurred in countries with low to mid income levels.
In Finland, children die in accidents more often than the average in other high-income countries.
Boys between the ages of 15 and 19 are at the greatest risk of suffering from an accident in Finland. Last year 92 youth under 20 died from accidents in Finland. Sixty-two of the victims were between 15 and 19 years old. The majority of accidental deaths are due to traffic accidents. Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental deaths.