Nanny State legislation does not come out of thin air, it is the legislative response demanded by civil rights activists, do-gooders and ambulance chasers.

Where there are so many prospective victims (now a recognisable part of Oz culture) and an over-supply of lawyers even the Lifesaving movement is obliged to take out hefty insurance in case they offend or harm a person while saving her life.

Regardless of any of that the accidental death of anyone, especially a child is a tragedy and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to any OLO reader who has experienced the loss of a family member or friend.

Just commenting on accidents involving children, many parents are unaware of the danger of containers of water such as nappy buckets or the risk of leaving a bath plug where a child might find it (and run the bath). Many deaths occur this way. It is possible to reduce infant and child deaths through education and water safety classes.

I'm no mathematician, I can hardly add without having two go's at it but all this hype has a simple note to it. More people = more accidents = more stupidity = man related incidents. If we want to cut back on such accidents we need to cut back on people. Where lies the difficulty in understanding that ?
I suppose we could try educating people by letting them be knocked around as babies & small children so they learn that certain things will hurt. As the evidence stands now we have young people getting killed because they've been mollycoddled & therefore devoid of comprehending certain danger. Same goes for behaviour. If we were allowed to slapp stroppy kids then they'd know that bad behaviour equals copping a clip behind the ear. Instead we (the do-gooders & idiotic psychologists & Counsellors ) teach them to push past the limit because they know some moron will stand up for them doing wrong. Let kids be kids & discipline them like kids when its needed & you'll have a better human being. No discipline & you get what we have now.

Very droll. Perhaps we should all never leave our homes.

For younger children who cannot swim, safety near water will always be the responsibility of parents as much as feasibly possible but even the most vigilant may look away for a few seconds.

Fact is some people will drown each year whether it be on unpatrolled beaches or otherwise. People will die from hangliding, parachuting and mountain climbing. It is a personal choice how much risk an individual takes and if they know the potential consequences it is their decision alone to take.

When it comes to kids it really is up to parents, you cannot legislate common sense.

Never fear Pelican, for I will also address these distressing figures also:

For mountain-climbing, any steep hill should be sealed off, with only access via a long cable tracing up the side, with handrails and many padded floors to absorb any people that fall grafted to the cliffside.

Parachuting is a tricky one, but I think I have an answer for it also:
We simply replace it with a similar sport involving a steep slipperydip, on which the participant looses a parachute as he/she descends its much more forgiving descent.

Now both of these recreational groups might at first be disappointed that their favourite activities are now somewhat "less exciting" but they will learn to appreciate the improved safety they are being given by a caring authority.

And I like the idea about being safer not leaving our homes- I think all doors should have child-proof locks, and a warning sign telling would-be home-leavers of the mortal statistics in the world outside.

(this is really quite fun)

Ha ha very good Hazza. Just so I don't feel left out of the fun.

Why only child proof locks. We can do better than that.

Governments (now known as our masters or he/she who must be obeyed) should immediately install a system like that seen in the futuristic movie Fortress. All exit doors to be controlled by a Central Control Unit and people will only be allowed out of their homes once padded in cotton wool with all necessary accompaniements such as flotation devices, failsafe parachute in case you fall down a cliff, oxygen tank incase you find yourself in water.

Children of course will never be allowed out until they reach the age of 18 and only then under supervision. Until then they will be left cocooned in the safety of their homes. Of course the homes will have padded walls, non-slip flooring and no pointy edges or heating devices that may cause harm.

And don't forget bicycle helmets and a leash- just in case! ;)