During the summer, nothing beats recreational boating as a way to relax, have fun, and bring friends and family together. However, a day on the family boat or jet skiing on the lake can turn tragic if proper care is not taken.

Drowning is the second leading injury-related killer of children ages 1-14, claiming the lives of more than 900 children each year. In 2002, nearly 45 percent of children ages 14 and under who drowned in boating-related incidents were not wearing personal flotation devices (PFD). It is estimated that 85 percent of boating-related drownings could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a PFD.

Also, a study recently released by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and Johnson & Johnson indicates nearly nine out of 10 children who drowned were being supervised, usually by a family member. Even more surprising, more than 50 percent of parents say they are “not at all worried” or “not very worried” about their child drowning. Parents also report that they do not always require their children to wear PFDs on boats because the parents are “close enough to help in the case of an emergency,” “the PFD is nearby and can be put on quickly in an emergency” or the PFD is not needed “because they can swim.”

“Adults need to actively supervise children when they are around water and make sure they are wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Active supervision means watching and listening at all times and staying close enough to intervene in an emergency,” says Rene Hopkins, RN, Coordinator of SAFE KIDS of East Central Georgia, which is led by the MCG Children’s Medical Center. “We want kids to be active and enjoy water sports and boating, but we want them to do it safely.”

Although there is no single device that can prevent drowning, SAFE KIDS of East Central Georgia recommends some guidelines to keep your family’s boating experience fun and safe:

• Actively supervise your children in or around water. This means keeping your kids in direct sight, hearing and reach at all times when around water.
• Ensure that all boat passengers, including children, are wearing properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFDs.
• Enroll in a safe boating course. Sixty-five percent of boat operators involved in reported accidents had never taken a safe boating course.
• Learn CPR. Parents and caregivers should learn infant and child CPR so that intervention can occur immediately in an emergency.

For more information on drowning prevention, or to obtain the SAFE KIDS/Johnson & Johnson study, Clear Danger: A National Study of Childhood Drowning and Related Attitudes and Behavior, or the SAFE KIDS Water Safety Checklist, visit www.safekids.org or contact Rene Hopkins at 706-721-KIDS (706-721-5437).

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians and faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group, not employees of MCG Health Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit www.MCGHealth.org.