asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate the age groups for whom road accidents comprise the leading cause of death.
In 1985, the latest year for which date are available, the only age-group for whom road accidents form the leading cause of death, using the grouping of ages and causes in the Chief Medical Officer's annual report "On the State of the Public Health for the year 1985" (HMSO) is the 15 to 34 age group for each sex. (For the 1 to 14 age group in each sex road accidents are the second leading cause). The information is shown in the table.
| Five main causes of death (and percentages of all causes of death), selected age groups, England and Wales, 1985 | |
| Males | Females |
| Age Group: 1 — 14 | |
| Other causes of injury and poisoning | Congenital anomalies |
| 740–759 | |
| E800 - E807; E830 - E949; | |
| E960 - E994 | |
| Number: 290 | Number: 203 |
| Per cent.: 19·74 per cent. | Per cent.: 19·06 per cent. |
| Road vehicle accidents | Road vehicle accidents |
| E810 - E829 | E810 - E829 |
| Number: 286 | Number: 138 |
| Per cent.: 19·47 per cent. | Per cent.: 12·96 per cent. |
| Congenital anomalies | Other causes of injury and poisoning |
| 740 — 759 | |
| E800 - E807; E830 - E949; | |
| E960 - E999 | |
| Number: 187 | Number: 136 |
| Per cent.: 12·73 per cent. | Per cent.: 12·77 per cent. |
Males
| Females
|
| Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs | Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs |
| 320 — 389 | 320 — 389 |
| Number: 129 | Number: 108 |
| Per cent.: 8·78 per cent. | Per cent.: 10·14 per cent. |
| MN of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue1 | MN of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue1 |
| 200 — 208 | 200 — 208 |
| Number: 87 | Number: 54 |
| Per cent.: 5·92 per cent. | Per cent.: 5·07 per cent. |
| All causes of death | All causes of death |
| Number: 1,469 | Number: 1,065 |
| Per cent.: 100 per cent. | Per cent.: 100 per cent. |
| Age Group 15 — 34 | |
| Road vehicle accidents | Road vehicle accidents |
| E810 - E829 | E810 - E829 |
| Number: 1,696 | Number: 402 |
| Per cent.: 27·96 per cent. | Per cent.: 14·58 per cent. |
| Other causes of injury and poisoning | Other causes of injury and poisoning |
| E800 - E807; E830 - E949; | E800 - E807; E830 - E949; |
| E960 - E999 | E960 - E999 |
| Number: 1,039 | Number: 309 |
| Per cent.: 17·13 per cent. | Per cent.: 11·21 per cent. |
| Suicide and self - inflicted injury | Suicide and self - inflicted injury |
| E950 - E959 | E950 - E959 |
| Number: 874 | Number: 224 |
| Per cent.: 14·41 per cent. | Per cent.: 8·12 per cent. |
| Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs | MN of bone, connective tissue, skin and breast 1 |
| 320 — 389 | 170 — 175 |
| Number: 339 | Number: 213 |
| Per cent.: 5·59 per cent. | Per cent.: 7·73 per cent. |
| MN of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue 1 | MN of genitourinary organs 1 179 — 189 |
| 200 — 208 | Number: 171 |
| Number: 286 | Per cent.: 6·20 per cent. |
| Per cent.: 4·72 per cent. | |
| All causes of death | All causes of death |
| Number: 6,065 | Number: 2,757 |
| Per cent.: 100 per cent. | Per cent.: 100 per cent. |
| ICD (9) numbers are shown after cause name. | |
1 MN: malignant neoplasm. | |