Falls account for six times more deaths than traffic accidents, says CBS

The number people dying after a fall rose by nearly 400, or 11%, to 3,884 in 2016. In the past 20 years, the number of fatalities caused by falls has risen steadily, and increased by 60% over the last five years, according to new figures published by the national statistics office CBS.

The CBS said there were an average of 10.6 fatal falls every day last year. By way of comparison, in 2016 there were a total of 656 traffic-related deaths, 186 people died from poisoning and 86 drowned.

The rise in the number of fatal falls is to due to the population becoming older and living more independently. In 2016, 75% of fatal falls involved people aged 80 and older. The number of fall-related deaths in the 90-plus age group nearly doubled between 2011 and 2016: from 683 to 1,308.