In the Swiss canton of Valais between 1989 and 1992, 305 climbers and hikers died from accidents, more than the 242 who died from automobile accidents in that region. Such cases are in most cases due to poor preparation and ignorance of conditions by novice practitioners who fail to take basic precautions. In 1992, some 31 climbers and hikers throughout the French Alps. In Scotland in 1993, 53 people died in alpine accidents (equivalent to the number of road deaths for the same period).