Drowning and Water-Related Safety
Key Facts
· Each year, more than 830 children ages 14 and under die as a result of unintentional drowning.
Total Drowning Deaths, children 0-14
· 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 thesummer,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.
Pool Submersion Locations for Deaths to Children ages 0-5 (2002-2004)
· 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.
· 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.
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. 2007 Pool Submersion Memorandum. Washington (DC): US CPSC, 2007, June.
Drowning Pool Facts:
- Drowning is the number one killer of children under age 5
- Only a momentary lack of supervision puts the child at risk
- The majority of drowning occurs in residential swimming pools and spas
- Drowning is 100% preventable
-City of Palm Desert