These type of statistics are ugly to read. But, reading this type of information and discussing water safety can NEVER be taken lightly. Children have fun swimming and it gives them a lot of exercise at an early age. However, when we learn the historical drowning stats, it gives those of us that are parents another thing to think about.
Drowning Stats for 2019
These are the common drowning statistics statistics for 2019. And, there are probably some here that you don’t normally hear about.
1. In this past summer, a minimum of 150 children ages 15 and under died in pools and spas. That is 2 more than in 2018, according to the USA Swimming Foundation and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
2. Surprisingly, it only takes a couple of inches of water to drown a child. Be very cautious about bathtubs, deep street puddles, and any other bodies of shallow water.
3. The #1 cause of accidental death among children 4 and younger is drowning. If you have a home swimming pool, take the time and expense to put a safety fence around it, install self-closing fences, and make sure there is a lock on the gate.
4. If people are swimming in the pool (any age), make sure a reliable person is watching the pool at all times. If a person is drowning, they will struggle on the surface of the water for only 10 to 60 seconds. After which, they could drown. The rescue time is very short.
5. As of October 31, 2019 eighty-seven children that were 17 years old or younger have drowned in Texas!
6. Brain damage is very common in those children that survive a near downing. It takes only a few minutes of oxygen deprivation to cause brain cells to die. This is one reason that knowing CPR is so important!
7. Something important to note, most children who are drowning do not yell or make noticeable noise above water when they are drowning. Drowning statistics are high because others don’t recognize the signs to look for.
8. My last sad stat, most children that drown in Texas do so in their own home swimming pools.
Life Saver Survival Swim School Wants To Change These Drowning Stats
Most importantly, we want to change that last one – it is really ugly!.
If you have children 6 months or older and they need to learn to swim, give me, Bonnie, a call at (832) 366-3008 and let’s see if we can work them into our school!