WATER SAFETY FOR YOUR CHILDREN THIS SUMMER

BOATING SAFETY

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Sources by Amanda Bach

Did you know that children can drown in as little as one inch of water?

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14.  Children can drown in a variety of circumstances – during water recreation (such as swimming and boating) or when a young child is left unsupervised for a short time in the bathtub or around the home with access to nearby pools and hot tubs.

A child can drown in as little as one inch of water, and drowning is usually quick and silent. A child will lose consciousness two minutes after submersion, with irreversible brain damage occurring within four to six minutes.

Parents and caregivers need to understand the dangers of drowning and know the proper steps to take to protect children.

FOCUS ON BOATING SAFETY

What You Need to Know

In 2004, 55% of children ages 14 and under who drowned in reported boating accidents were not wearing life jackets.

It is estimated that 85% of boating-related drownings could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a life jacket. 

Make your children wear a life jacket … it may be the law!

Forty-five states have enacted laws that require children to wear life jackets while participating in recreational boating. These laws vary in age requirements, exemptions and enforcement procedures. 

Recreational boats must carry one appropriately sized life jacket approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for each person onboard, and the jackets must be kept accessible and in good condition. Children need to wear child-sized life jackets; make sure they are available. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of parents report that their children ages 14 and under have ridden on boats, and 32% report that their child participates in water sports.

What You Can Do

Protect your children while on the water – follow these safety tips. Remember active supervision is the best way to keep your kids safe!

Always have your children wear a life jacket approved by the U.S. Coast Guard while on boats or around open bodies of water or participating in water sports.  The life jacket should fit snugly and not allow the child’s chin or ears to slip through the neck opening. 

Never drink alcoholic beverages while boating. 

Take a boating education course. 

Get a vessel safety check every year for free from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons. For more information go to www.uscgboating.org and click “get a free safety check.” 

Install a carbon monoxide detector on your motorboat. CO can accumulate anywhere in or around your boat and can remain at dangerous levels even if your engine is turned off. 

Sources:

Safe Kids Worldwide
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 662-0600
Fax: (202) 393-2072

Contributor - Amanda Bach is co-founder and co-creator of SingleMom.com. The co-creator currently resides in California and Washington, DC. She was raised by a single mom and so she learned it first hand how difficult it was to watch her mom struggled everyday life. And that is the main reason she co-founded SingleMom.com to create this wonderful Website/organization. Her energy, natural creative ability and superior business intuition make her contributions to this website immeasurable. As you know, lots of tough decisions are made as a parent, let alone as a single parent. Her hobbies include volunteer, Internet, reading, ballet, traveling, snowboarding, and especially wine & food.