The Importance of Drowning Prevention

According to Safekids.org these are some helpful facts that parents can use to keep their kids safe around the pool deck. 

Key Facts

• Each year, more than 830 children ages 14 and under die as a result of unintentional drowning.
• On average, an annual 3,600 injuries occur to children due to a near-drowning incident.
• Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4 years and children 10 to 14 years. For infants less than 1 year, drowning is the third leading cause of death.
• In 2006, near-drowning incidents in the pool were responsible for 3,703 injuries to children less than 5 years of age.

Where, When and How

• Home swimming pools are the most common site for a drowning to occur for a child between the ages 1 to 4 years.
•  According to a national study of drowning-related incidents involving children, a parent or caregiver claimed to be supervising the child in nearly 9 out of 10 child drowning-related deaths.
• In the summer, between May and August, drowning deaths among children increase 89 percent over the rest of the year.
• Approximately 75 percent of pool submersion deaths and 60 percent of pool submersion injuries occur at a home.
• 16 percent of drowning deaths in children under 5 years of age are at a family or friend’s pool while 17 percent of deaths occur at a public, community or neighbor pool.
• The majority of infant (less than 1 year old) drowning deaths happen in bathtubs, buckets or toilets.
• Recreational boating accidents caused 11 drowning deaths in 2004; more than half of the children were not wearing personal flotation devices or life jackets.

Who

• Children ages 4 and under have the highest drowning death rate (two times greater than other age groups) and account for 80 percent of home drownings.
• Male children have a drowning rate twice that of female children.

With the help of swim instructors and parents drowning can be fully prevented.