Having taken into account one of the meanings of the phrase account for, would you tell me if the following would bear the same meaning?
Playgrounds account for causing over 1000 accidents each year.
Playgrounds are credited with causing over 1000 accidents each year.
Cheers, nima
On a first glance, the phrases might seem synonymous, but note that the term "credit with" carries a sense of praise or recognition - So unless you want to say that it's a good thing that these accidents happen, don't use it.
"Account for" is neutral, just stating a cause-effect relationship, the result of a calculation.
Collins lists a bunch of synonyms for "credit":
Synonyms
= praise, honour, recognition, glory, thanks, approval, fame, tribute, merit, acclaim, acknowledgment, kudos, commendation, Brownie points
= source of satisfaction or pride, asset, honour, feather in your cap = prestige, reputation, standing, position, character, influence, regard, status, esteem, clout, good name, estimation, repute
Some synonyms for account (verb) are:
= consider, rate, value, explain, judge, estimate, think, hold, believe, count, reckon, assess, weigh, calculate, esteem, deem, compute, gauge, appraise, regard as
