Drowning Risks: What You Need to Know and How P2P Rescue Helps

Did you know that drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional deaths with an estimated 360,000 annual drownings worldwide It’s a major public health problem we face, and there are plenty of people, groups, companies and organizations doing helping to prevent drowning, including P2P Rescue! Here’s a few things you should know about drowning risk in our world.

Risk Factors

Age: The three age categories that see the most drownings are 0-5, 20-25, and 60 and older. Drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers and infants due to the inability to swim, poor adult supervision, and the lack of barriers separating young children from bodies of water. Inadequate supervision is another leading reason why older children are at risk for drowning, as parents sometimes overestimate how well their children obey safety rules when unsupervised. Ages 20-25 see an increase in risk because of participation in water sports and the tendency to be more reckless. For those older than 60, the risk is higher due to difficulty managing themselves in emergency water situations and potential health problems that can lead to heart attacks or low blood pressure while in the water.

Gender: Males are at a higher risk of drowning and are more likely to be hospitalized than females for non-fatal drowning. Studies suggest this is due to an increased exposure to water and generally riskier behavior, including swimming solo and drinking alcohol before swimming or operating a boat alone. Males are also more apt to participate in water sports and live near bodies of water for their careers.

Access to water: There’s always a higher risk when an individual’s occupation is around water, such as working in commercial fishing or using boats. Drowning risk also increases for those who live near open water sources, particularly children in such situations. There’s also a higher risk during warmer months when people travel to bodies of water for vacation and recreation.

Flooding disasters: 75% of drowning deaths occur from natural flooding situations like heavy rain, hurricanes, and tsunamis. This is especially true for people who live in areas that are prone to flooding and have limited options to evacuate.

Drowning Prevention

Although drowning takes a toll around the world, hundreds of thousands of lives are saved every year thanks to trained lifeguards and responders. At P2P Rescue, our goal is to help aid those lifesavers with our unique rescue board designs. From ocean to swift water to flooded conditions, each of our rescue boards are designed to withstand harsh environments and get responders to victims quickly. Take a look at all the boards we offer and see the difference P2P Rescue is making!