Men urged to take care around water

Royal Lifesaving Australia have urged men to take extra care near the water this summer season.

Inland waterways have accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all drowning deaths in Australia over the past 10 years, with 80 per cent of those deaths being males and 32 per cent involving alcohol.

With these stark findings and research carried out by the Royal Life Saving Society, it has been put down to risk-taking behaviours. This includes poor-decision making such as a large alcohol consumption, not wearing a life jacket while on the water and swimming alone.

Royal Life Saving CEO Justin Scarr said the data suggests that men swimming in inland waterways are the most at risk.

“Our data suggests that men, recreating in our inland waterways in the summer while consuming alcohol is a deadly cocktail. More needs to be done to educate men on the risks and the consequences of their actions when recreating in, on and around the water, which is why we are launching our ‘Make the Right

Call’ campaign, aimed at men to keep themselves and their mates safe around aquatic environments.”

The “Make the Right Call” campaign highlights common sense approaches that men and women can take to prevent drowning. They include avoiding alcohol around water, wearing a lifejacket when boating or using watercraft and avoiding swimming alone.

Mr Scarr said simply thinking about these three steps would go a long way in changing people’s thinking around the water.

“Drowning is a preventable killer. We need to change people’s attitude to risk and their behaviours around water, especially men. Most people think it won’t happen to them. However, our work shows that poor decision making can lead to tragedy.”

Statistics from 2018/19 showed that 45 per cent of drownings occurred during the summer season, with 81 per cent of drownings involving a male. It’s a stark reminder to continue to be vigilant and head the warnings over the summer season.