17 Drown, How Many More In 2003?
January has highlighted the many diverse activities and sites in which people drown in New Zealand.
According to figures from Water Safety New Zealand, 17 drownings occurred, 2 below the average for the number of
drownings in January over the past five years, but significantly down on the 25 recorded in January 2002.
Ten of the drownings were recreational with five of those swimming related, 3 under water activities, one rafting and
one fishing, said Alan Muir Executive Director of Water Safety New Zealand.
“The level of recreational drownings which occurred during January is predictable at this time of year given the warm
weather and the high involvement in water related activities during the holiday period.”
There has been a significant amount of publicity about water safety in the public arena with the WSNZ/ACC campaigns
focusing on boating, rivers and pools, the ACC ThinkSafe advertisements and the Maritime Safety Authority campaign.
“This we believe has all had a positive impact on the publics behaviour and attitude around water in general, said Mr
Muir.”
Adding to the recreational toll are non-recreational drownings including three incidents where people died in road
vehicle incidents, one toddler in a home pool, one elderly man in a drain, one commercial fisherman and a man attempting
to rescue his younger brother.
February is traditionally the second highest month of drownings each year and everyone participating in recreational
aquatic activities needs to take appropriate measures to ensure their own safety and the safety of others in their care.