Swimming is a lot of fun, but drowning is a real danger. Even kids who know how to swim can drown. Far more drowning victims are male than female. Perhaps this is so because, worldwide, more men than women participate in water sports or are near water in their work or recreation. Men may also take more and greater risks.
Worldwide, most drowning’s occur to people in three age categories:
- 0 to 5 years old
- 20 to 25 years old
- over 60 years old
All over the world, infants and toddlers drown more frequently than people at any other age. In this age group drowning is the leading cause of death, followed by accidents in and around the home and road traffic accidents. Inadequate supervision, an inability to swim, and lack of barriers separating toddlers from pools and other water activities are the main causes of drowning’s of small children.
Older children drown less frequently but still in large numbers. They generally drown because of their parents’ inadequate supervision. Parents may have unrealistic expectations about how well their children obey their safety rules when not directly supervised.
Frequent participation in water sports as well as a tendency to be more reckless could explain the high drowning rate among those 20 to 25 years of age.
The high drowning rate of older people may be related to difficulties managing emergency situations. Many older people have never learned to swim. They also are more likely to have health problems that can cause loss of consciousness while swimming, such as a heart attack or low blood pressure.
When and Where People Drown?
Drowning’s happen year round and at all hours of the day and night. However, it is clear that drowning peak in the warmer seasons as people flock to the water for recreation and relief from the heat. Prime time for drowning is mid to late afternoon. Again, this is largely predictable given that this is the hottest part of the day. By late afternoon, after several hours of water recreation and people are generally more tired and less able to make good judgments about risk.
The vast majority of drowning occur in open water, the sea, lakes, ponds, rivers. However, drowning occur in all water including swimming pools and bathtubs. Small children have been known to drown in just a few inches of water in buckets and ditches.
- Designate a lifeguard or water monitor.Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to ensure water safety is to make sure there is always someone watching the swimmers in the water who is ready to jump in at a moment’s notice. Trained lifeguards, of course, make the best water monitors, but even an ordinary strong swimmer can do it. Always keep a head count of kids in the pool.
- Never let children swim unsupervised.While it’s a bad idea for anyone to swim alone, for children, it should be a hard and fast rule. Never let children swim without adult supervision, no matter whether they’re at the beach, in your household pool, in a public pool, or at a friend’s house.
- Learn basic swimming skills.For obvious reasons, knowing how to swim can greatly reduce your risk of drowning. For absolute beginners, skills like the crawl stroke and treading water can allow you move and float with ease in the water, improving your confidence and security while you swim.
If you’re not a confident swimmer, consider enrolling in swimming lessons.
Important Safety Tips to Follow:
- Stay within sight and reach of your child when in, on or around water.
- Know how to swim or have an experienced adult swimmer supervise children in the pool.
- Learn First Aid and CPR.
- Know how to call for help 1122 .
- Put young children and weak swimmers in properly fitted lifejackets, when in, on or around water.
- Teach your children the pool rules.
- Keep safety equipment by the pool.
- Put your children in swimming lessons.
