Officials remind people of the importance of water safety ahead of Memorial Day Weekend
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KMIZ)
State officials are reminding Missourians to be safe on the water during Memorial Day Weekend.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri has averaged over 46 non-boating related drownings per year on streams, rivers, ponds and lakes over the past five years. MSHP says this does not include swimming pool drownings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drownings are also the leading cause of injury death for children ages 1-14 and the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The CDC says life jackets around all bodies of water are a must for kids and even weaker swimmers. When kids are playing around water, the CDC recommends adults should be present at all times and avoid distractions such as reading a book or talking on the phone.
The CDC also states about 10 people die everyday from unintentional drowning and almost 80% of all people who drown are male. A couple of factors raise the risk of drowning while on the water including the lack of a life jacket, location, swimming ability and alcohol use.
The CDC says drownings in natural water settings such as lakes or rivers increase with age and more than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings for individuals 15-years-old and above happen in a natural water setting. According to U.S. Coast Guard data for boating incidents in 2010, 72% of boating deaths were caused by drowning and 88% of the victims were not wearing life jackets. The CDC also states nearly 70% of water deaths in adults involve alcohol use.
The U.S. Coast Guard says that life jackets save lives but they must be fitted properly to work. The Coast Guard says the life jacket must be the right size and in good condition to work correctly.
Life jackets also come in a variety of sizes for kids including infant, child and youth size. Once a child moves past 88 pounds, it is recommended to size up to an adult size.
