As the July 4th weekend and summer kicks into gear, the American Red Cross of Metro New York North hopes that parents make water safety a priority this summer.
A recent survey conducted for the Red Cross, found that 94 percent of parents expect that their children will engage in some sort of water activity this summer. However, nearly two-thirds of these parents report that their child cannot demonstrate all five basic skills that could save their lives in the water.
Of these, 65 percent are parents of children ages four through 12 and 51 percent are parents of teens ages 13 to 17.
These critical water safety skills, also known as “water competency,” are the ability to, in this order,: step or jump into the water over your head; return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute; turn around in a full circle and find an exit; swim 25 yards to the exit; and exit from the water.
If in a pool, be able to exit without using the ladder.
Every day, an average of 10 people die in the United States from unintentional drowning, one in five of them are children 14-years-old or younger, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and fifth for people of all ages. In addition, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
Other key survey findings are that nearly a fifth (18 percent) of adults who are not able to perform all five water safety skills expect to supervise a child near water this summer. Fear is listed as the top reason for not learning how to swim both as a child and as an adult. Nearly half of Americans report that they have had an experience where they were afraid they might drown.
Near drowning experiences are more common among young adults ages 18 to 24. And younger Americans are also more likely than those in any other age group to report that they know someone who nearly drowned (36 percent).
In addition, a study was conducted on summer water activities planned for children and teens in areas without lifeguards.
The Red Cross survey also found that 35 percent of parents expect their children and teens to swim at a place this summer without a lifeguard.
While stronger swimming skills would reduce the risk of drowning, the Red Cross survey found that just one in five children are likely to take swimming lessons this summer.
“Summer is the perfect time to enroll children in Red Cross swim lessons, the first step in practicing water safety,” said Mary Young, CEO, American Red Cross Metro New York North. “The Red Cross created the first national water safety program in the U.S. – and today it’s still the gold standard, training more than two million people annually.”
Red Cross swimming lessons help people develop skills and water safety behaviors that help people be more comfortable and safe when they are in, on and around the water. The Red Cross encourages all household members to enroll in age-appropriate water orientation and Learn-to-Swim programs.
To find classes for your family, contact your local aquatic facility and ask for American Red Cross swimming and water safety programs, or visit RedCross.org/TakeAClass.
