Keeping the Family Safe Around Water

In 2007 there were 3,443 fatal unintentional drowning accidents in the United States, which averages to ten deaths a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Yes, drowning can be caused by swimming but it can also be caused when your body falls into cold water or when you experience hypothermia. Therefore, we should never assume that because we know how to swim that we can’t drown.

• Frozen water immersion. A descent into chilly water without a life jacket on can result in drowning in just a few short minutes. A sudden drop into cold water and your body starts a series of debilitating reflexes that only increase your chances of drowning.
• Hypothermia- Hypothermia is deadly and can be a result of cold water immersion. It occurs when your body loses heat more rapidly than it can produce heat, which results in the drop of your internal core temperature way below normal. This continuous loss of heat can result in death.

To avoid drowning, cold water immersion and hypothermia, you and your family will want to take several precautions. Whether you’re planning on going swimming and boating, or you can’t wait to take part in kayaking, canoeing or fishing, you need to be equipped with the right water safety knowledge. Put the following rules in use to avoid potential injury or death while participating in water-related activities:

• Supervision. Children should always be supervised when swimming or engaging in any type of water activity. This doesn’t just apply to trips to the lake or ocean. In fact, it’s common for children to drown in residential pools. Many children that have died in residential pools have only been out of sight for less than five minutes and were in the care of at least one parent, according to the CDC. If your child is swimming you shouldn’t turn your back for a minute, it’s just enough time for something bad to happen. Additionally, adults should never swim alone or engage in water activities during bad weather or a storm.
• Everyone should protect themselves, no matter their age. Life jackets should be worn on boats to prevent drowning. It was reported that in 2008, 9 out of 10 people that drowned were not wearing life jackets. Life jackets are not just for little kids, as they can aid in saving anyone’s life. They also prevent the on-set of hypothermia and can help you survive cold water immersion.
• Prohibit the use of alcohol. Alcohol has the potential to impair not only our decision making abilities, but also our reaction times. Whether you or your child is swimming, you need to be 100 percent alert. The use of alcohol takes away our ability to focus on the situation at hand and react to it, so just stay away from it completely while around water. Alcohol use accounts for one half of all adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation, says the CDC.
• When parking your vehicle near a body of water, be sure to position the car parallel to the water’s edge. Each year there are people who are injured or killed when their parked car unintentionally rolls into water. Even if no one is in the car, and you’ve got cheap car insurance to cover damages, it’s better to practice prevention.

By putting these safety tips into use, you have the power to dramatically reduce the amount of deaths related to water-based activities. Whether you or your child is in the water, you need to pay full attention to the surroundings and environment because the power of water is unpredictable and at times, deadly.