Over 5500 Northland ACC claims over festive season, 337 on New Year's Day

Many New Zealanders are injured during the festive season. 123rf.com

Officials are warning Northlanders to stay safe as the country enters the festive season - a peak time for injuries.

Based on data from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), there were 5597 injuries in Northland between December 21 to January 10 in 2019/20, with New Year's Day (337) the highest single day for accident claims.

It was a decrease from the 5965 claims made during the 2018/19 summer in Northland - the highest it's been for the past five summers.

Nationally, over the 2019/20 summer, there were 103,248 ACC claims for injuries which cost over $100 million. About 4000 people were injured on Christmas Day last year.

Auckland (31,875) had the highest number of accident claims ahead of the Waikato (11,935), Canterbury (11,483), Bay of Plenty (8445), Wellington (8103) and Northland.

The home was the most common location for injuries, with 59,967 injuries during this period. Falls made up 40 per cent of those injuries.

Almost 15,000 injuries during this time involved a lifting or carrying strain, more than 4000 involved steps and stairs and almost 7000 were animal-related.

There were 4798 gardening-related injuries last festive season and 2046 DIY related injuries. The most common injury was a lumbar sprain (10,163) ahead of a neck sprain (4425) and ankle sprain (4376).

"Most injuries over this time reflect what people are doing, for a lot of us we're relaxing with friends and whānau, spending time at the beach or trying out a new bike we've got for Christmas," ACC injury prevention leader Kirsten Malpas said.

There were 16,576 sports-related injuries in this time period. Water-related injuries (2413), cycling (2302) and fitness training/gym (1584) were the most prevalent.

Drowning is the leading cause of death in recreational activities in Aotearoa. There were 82 drowning fatalities last year, an increase of 26 per cent from the 66 in 2018.

"If you're around the water, keep a close eye on your tamariki. Young children need to be supervised and kept within arm's reach, particularly around moving water where things can happen quickly. If you're at the beach, swim between the flags," Malpas said.

"Most injuries can be prevented by simply slowing down, stopping to assess the risks, and pacing yourself."