Water Safety Survey Alarms Red Cross
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 @ 9:50 AM
Prince George, B.C.- There are some startling stats coming from the Canadian Red Cross on a survey about adult supervision of children when near water.( at right, kids play at Rotaract Park during a past P.G. heat wave – photo 250News archive)
Drowning is the leading cause of injury death for children aged 0-4. Although 90% of children of who drown in shallow water were not with a supervising adult, the survey indicates the majority of Canadian parents don’t understand what is needed to safeguard children in, on and around the water.
The survey shows:
· Ninety per cent of parents with children younger than four say that water depth influences their level of supervision, while data shows that 40 per cent of children drown in water less than one metre deep.
· One in five parents in B.C. say they would allow a child under six to play near the water without a lifejacket on, yet 80 per cent of children this age who drowned in Canada had not intended to enter the water.
“Children can drown quickly and quietly, and often in situations where they were not expected to enter the water,” said Deanna Udy, Canadian Red Cross Water Safety Program. “Only one-third of children and youth who drown in Canada were taking part in aquatic activities that parents typically see as risky, like swimming or wading. One-third of children drown in situations where they enter the water unexpectedly, like by falling from a dock or entering the water without their caregiver’s knowledge.”
The stats show there are least 60 deaths each year in BC due to drowning and water-transport related activities. For each toddler who dies from drowning, there are some 6-10 near-drowning cases which require hospitalization (Among the survivors of near-drowning, 20-percent sustain permanent brain damage)
“With summer around the corner, we urge parents to understand the risks to children when they are in the water, and also when they are on or near it,” adds Udy.
The Red Cross is calling on all parents and adults to effectively supervise children by keeping them within reach and within sight at all times.
Comments
Personal flotation devices potentially mandatory for tots when running around or through sprinklers. Can’t be too safe, now can we? Helmets optional.
Har,
Don’t be like that. This is not a joking matter
Reminding people of their common sense must be big business these days. As if this wasn’t known sixty years ago? AND without the Internet? How did people survive? In 1957 when I was 10 years old my parents drove to Ontario and back to BC in a 1950 Desoto. No seat belts, no airbags, no GPS. I rode my bike for fourty years with no helmet! Here I am. Just call it luck, eh? As for joking, I was being cynical. De riguer (that’s French) for this day and age when it comes to the media (and their common sense).
Of course children drowning is not a joking matter, but Harbs point is well taken. Better get em downstairs playing video games where they are safe… then thier heart can give out when they are in thier 30’s instead of the dangerous outdoors getting them.
Government conspiracy to save money on future pension payments? There’s a conspiracy to run with, eh?
Harbinger. We all rode our bikes without helmet’s and we are all still here. Not sure what the big push is about helmets, however it could be the manufacturers.
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