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General
Information on Drowning
Drowning is the third
leading cause of accidental death in the United
States and the second leading cause of accidental
death for persons aged 5 to 44. For children in the
one to two year age range, drowning is the leading
cause of injury death. In some states, like
California, Florida, and Hawaii, drowning is the
leading cause of injury death for persons under 15
years of age.
Death by drowning is only
the tip of the iceberg for aquatic injury. It has
been found that for every ten children who die by
drowning, 140 are treated in emergency rooms, and
36 are admitted for further treatment in hospitals.
Some of these never fully recover.
Males drown at a
significantly higher rate than females (about 5 to
1). For boat related drownings, the ratio escalates
to about 14 to 1.
Guide to
Safety Tips
1. Swim Near A Lifeguard:
USLA statistics over a ten year period show that
the chance of drowning at a beach without lifeguard
protection is almost five times as great as
drowning at a beach with lifeguards. USLA has
calculated the chance that a person will drown
while attending a beach protected by USLA
affiliated lifeguards at 1 in 18 million
(.0000055%).
2. Learn To Swim: Learning
to swim is the best defense against drowning. Teach
children to swim at an early age. Children who are
not taught when they are very young tend to avoid
swim instruction as they age, probably due to
embarrassment. Swimming instruction is a crucial
step to protecting children from injury or death.
3. Never Swim Alone: Many
drownings involve single swimmers. When you swim
with a buddy, if one of you has a problem, the
other may be able to help, including signaling for
assistance from others. At least have someone
onshore watching you.
4. Don't Fight the
Current: USLA has found that some 80% of rescues by
USLA affiliated lifeguards at ocean beaches are
caused by rip currents. These currents are formed
by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water
up the slope of the beach, gravity pulls it back.
This can create concentrated rivers of water moving
offshore. Some people mistakenly call this an
undertow, but there is no undercurrent, just an
offshore current. If you are caught in a rip
current, don't fight it by trying to swim directly
to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you
feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most
rip currents are narrow and a short swim parallel
to shore will bring you to safety.
5. Swim Sober: Alcohol is
a major factor in drowning. Alcohol can reduce body
temperature and impair swimming ability. Perhaps
more importantly, both alcohol and drugs impair
good judgement, which may cause people to take
risks they would not otherwise take.
6. Leash Your Board:
Surfboards and bodyboards should be used only with
a leash. Leashes are usually attached to the board
and the ankle or wrist. They are available in most
shops where surfboards and bodyboards are sold or
rented. With a leash, the user will not become
separated from the floatation device. One
additional consideration is a breakaway leash. A
few drownings have been attributed to leashes
becoming entangled in underwater obstructions. A
breakaway leash avoids this problem.
7. Don't Float Where You
Can't Swim: Nonswimmers often use floatation
devices, like inflatable rafts, to go offshore. If
they fall off, they can quickly drown. No one
should use a floatation device unless they are able
to swim. Use of a leash is not enough because a
non-swimmer may panic and be unable to swim back to
the floatation device, even with a leash. The only
exception is a person wearing a Coast Guard
approved life jacket.
8. Life Jackets = Boating
Safety: Some 80% of fatalities associated with
boating accidents are from drowning. Most involve
people who never expected to end up in the water,
but fell overboard or ended up in the water when
the boat sank. Children are particularly
susceptible to this problem and in many states,
children are required to be in lifejackets whenever
they are aboard boats.
9. Don't Dive Headfirst,
Protect Your Neck: Serious, lifelong injuries,
including paraplegia, occur every year due to
diving headfirst into unknown water and striking
the bottom. Bodysurfing can result in a serious
neck injury when the swimmer's neck strikes the
bottom. Check for depth and obstructions before
diving, then go in feet first the first time; and
use caution while bodysurfing, always extending a
hand ahead of you.
10. At Home, You're the
Lifeguard: Drowning is the leading cause of
accidental death in many states for children age
one and two. A major reason for this is home pools,
which can be death traps for toddlers. Many of
these deaths occur in the few moments it takes a
parent to answer a telephone or doorbell. NEVER
leave a child alone anywhere near a pool. Make sure
it is completely fenced, that the fence is locked,
and that there is no access from the home to the
pool. Don't let your child or a neighbor's child
get into the pool when you're not there.
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