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Canberra Today 18°/24° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Swimmers warned to stay away from booze

ONE in four of the 1932 men who drowned in Australia over the last decade was affected by alcohol.

Over half of men who drowned with alcohol in their systems were in inland waterways.

According to research by Royal Life Saving, men are also four times more likely to drown than women, with males accounting for 80 per cent of all drowning deaths.

“The culture of drinking around water means men are at greater risk of drowning,” says Royal Life Saving Society – ACT, executive director, Cherry Bailey.

“We all know that men are prone to taking unnecessary risks and overestimating their abilities, but after a few drinks this can be life threatening.”

One quarter of men were drunk and swimming when they drowned. A further 22 per cent were drunk while on a boat or when using a watercraft.

Royal Life Saving, with the support of the Federal government, has launched a national drowning prevention and public awareness campaign called “Don’t Let Your Mates Drink and Drown” to prevent further drowning tragedies.

The campaign urges men to look out for each other, and to avoid alcohol consumption before and during swimming, boating and fishing in order to prevent further lives being lost to drowning.

It targets men aged over 34, as research shows they are at higher risk of drinking and drowning than teenagers or young men. The research reports that 57 per cent of men who drowned with alcohol in their system were aged 35 years and over.

“The campaign encourages men to look out for their mates by avoiding alcohol around water, and keeping them out of trouble by pulling them into line if they’ve been drinking and decide to go for a swim or take the boat for a spin” says Ms Bailey.

Research by the Royal Life Saving Society has revealed that 1932 men aged 15 years and over have fatally drowned between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2016, with one in four incidents involving alcohol.

Of the men who had been drinking and subsequently drowned, 66 per cent would have failed a random breath test with a recorded a blood alcohol content above 0.05.

Other revelations of the research include:

  • Over half of men who drowned with alcohol in their systems were in inland waterways (54 per cent)
  • A quarter of men were swimming and recreating prior to drowning with alcohol in their system (25 per cent), this was followed by the use of a watercraft (22 per cent)
  • 74 per cent of men who drowned with alcohol in their system were locals living within 100km of the location where they drowned.

“We are deeply concerned about the high levels of intoxication of men when in and around waterways,” says Ms Bailey.

“There has been great success in reducing drink driving on our roads, but rates of drinking whilst swimming or boating remain frighteningly high.

“On weekends and public holidays in particular, men often get together for a day of boating, fishing or camping. We’re urging men to look out for their mates by avoiding alcohol when they’re around water and keeping them safe if they are drunk near the water.”

“For many Australian men an esky full of stubbies is just as important on a fishing trip as the bait, or than checking the conditions before swimming. This culture of drinking while swimming, boating or fishing means men are at greater risk of drowning.”

Alcohol increases the risk of drowning by impairing judgement, reducing co-ordination, delaying reaction time and heightening the chance of hypothermia.

 

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