May is the Start of Water Safety Season
National Water Safety Month is an Annual Awareness Campaign coordinated by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance with support from the American Red Cross, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, National Recreation and Park Association, and World Waterpark Association.
LEARN HOW YOU CAN PREVENT DROWNINGS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Drowning Statistics
DROWNING IS PREVENTABLE
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO LOWER THESE STATISTICS
The following data and research has been compiled over the past few years from sources
such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), WHO (World Health Organization), and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).
- Drowning is the #1 cause of death for children ages 1-4
- 2nd leading cause of unintentional injury death for children up to age 14
- We lose 11 school buses worth of children to unintentional drownings per year, with the average school bus seating 80 students, resulting in an average of 854 children per year.
- For every fatal childhood drowning, another 7 to 8 receive emergency department care for non-fatal drowning.
- There is an average of 4,012 unintentional drowning deaths each year.
- Drowning remains among the top four causes of death from age 54 and up
- In swimming pools, Black children ages 10-14 years drown at rates 7.6 times higher than White children.
- Drowning costs the U.S. Economy an estimated $53.22 billion annually.
- Drowning is fast and silent. It can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds.
- Above the age of 1, nearly 80% of drowning deaths involve males due to increased exposure to water, risk-taking, behaviors, and alcohol use.
Partners, Resources and Social Media that educate on Water Safety
#DrowningPrevention #WaterSafety #FirstSport
https://www.diversityinaquatics.org/ - THE MISSION OF DIVERSITY IN AQUATICS IS TO EDUCATE, PROMOTE, AND SUPPORT SWIMMING, WATER SAFETY, AND HEALTHY AQUATICS ACTIVITIES FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
The Connor Cares Foundation on Facebook - is a nonprofit organization dedicated in memory to Connor Freed who lost his life to drowning 2 weeks before his 6th birthday. 15 years later they continue to spread the mission of Water Safety so others can learn from this tragedy.
https://blackkidsswim.com/ - To provide access to an increased range of opportunities for Black children by encouraging the development of proficient swim techniques resulting in an increase in Black competitive swimmers. We do this by raising awareness, providing guidance, and serving as the go-to source for information on competitive and non-competitive Black swim team options. We are committed to increasing Black participation in competitive swimming
Safe Kids Worldwide - https://www.safekids.org/poolsafety
Association of Aquatic Professionals - https://aquaticpros.org/drowning-prevention-education/
Stop Drowning Now - https://www.stopdrowningnow.org/
American Red Cross – Offers free online classes that parents, caregivers and children can take to learn the risks and minimize drowning - https://www.redcrosslearningcenter.org/s/learn-to-swim
