Government Report: ‘Steady Rise’ in Child Drownings Shows Need for Vigilance

Photo Courtesy: Craig Lord

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released a report this week showing a consistent rise in child drownings, sounding the alarm as summer approaches.

The data covers fatal drownings in pools or spas per year from 2015 to 2017. It does not factor in anything trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also does not account for fatal drowning incidents that occur in bodies of open water.

The report shows that the number of drownings of children aged 15 of younger increased gradually from 2015-17, with a spike to 395 reported fatalities in 2017. The average for the three-year span was 379 drownings per year. Residential pools were the site of 71 percent of incidents, indicating “a gap in adult supervision” that is preventable. The report uses the data to, “highlight the need for continued vigilance in combating child drownings, particularly as many families prepare to spend more time at home this summer to curb the spread of COVID-19.”

Drowning remains the leading cause of unintentional death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.

“Water safety vigilance remains as important as ever, especially in light of ongoing public health concerns and community restrictions related to COVID-19,” CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler said in press release. “Our latest report confirms that most child drownings take place at home during the summer months. This year, with more families spending time at home, the delayed opening of many public pools, and a pause on many traditional group swimming lessons, I urge everyone to take critical safety steps to reverse the upward trend in fatal child drownings.”

Though this report doesn’t include data during the time period covered by COVID-19 lockdowns, it echoes the thoughts behind many campaigns to reopen pools. A national drive, which included letters to President Donald Trump and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed by hundreds of swimming stakeholders, specifically cited water safety in the need to reopen pools expeditiously. Washington state’s push to reopen aquatic facilities included a call out to the threat of swimmers using more dangerous natural waterways instead of pools this summer. And the effort to reopen pools in Rhode Island specifically cites a drowning incident in April that increased the urgency.

The CPSC release includes links to the government’s Pool Safety tips. The full report (pdf) is viewable here.

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