Anyone Can Drown: No One Should

As published in the SV September 2024 Newsletter

Key facts

• Drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths

• There are an estimated 236,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide

• Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning

• Children, males, and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning

  
  

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States and the second leading cause of death by accidental injury for children 5 to 14. Red Cross surveys show many Americans lack basic swimming skills. Even with over 10 million private pools and over 350,000 commercial pools, many people still lack access to water safety education and places to learn to swim. Drowning is often seen as a private issue and swimming as a luxury: this perception must change in order to prevent needless drownings and save lives.

Preventive actions include controlling water access, covering wells, using barriers, fencing pools, enhanced education and training programs, and improved safety technology. Supervised childcare for young children, and teaching school-aged children basic swimming and water safety skills are effective strategies, but these efforts should be done with a focus on safety, using tested programs, new drowning prevention technologies, safe areas, and appropriate instructor ratios.