Eighty-eight percent of child drownings occur with at least one adult present, and 50 percent of children drown within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. Why? Because drowning doesn’t actually look like drowning. It is fast, silent and can happen in as little as 30 seconds.
Child drownings carry a negative stigma, because many think that only “bad parents” lose a child to drowning, but this tragedy is the leading cause of death in 1-4 year-olds, and although there’s been an 11.5% increase in drownings nationally since 2021, it’s completely preventable.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) and creative partner Doner have joined forces to create a national PSA to raise awareness of drowning and educate caregivers and parents about drowning prevention.
This “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning” PSA depicts similar summer days by the pool, both quiet and calm. But each video ultimately reveals that drowning doesn’t really look like drowning, with no splashing, waving or yelling to indicate that something is wrong.
Viewers are directed to DrowningDoesntLookLikeDrowning.com, which shares key facts about drowning and urges use of the NDPA’s five layers of drowning protection.
Detroit-based agency Doner donated its time and creativity to bring the important campaign to life.
“As an agency where many of our employees have young children, we were shocked by the statistics around child drownings and felt compelled to use our creativity to inspire this conversation and promote safety training. Child drowning is a preventable problem, yet an increasing one. And education needs to be done around drowning prevention because so often it happens while parents are close and unaware. Our mission with this PSA is to reach millions of parents with the hope of saving lives this summer,” said Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer, Doner
The public service campaign and website now live ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25.
