Royal Life Saving has launched a campaign in response to research showing that 1932 men have drowned in the last decade, one in four involving alcohol.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Men are four times more likely to drown than women, with males accounting for 80 per cent of all drowning deaths.
The Royal Life Saving Don’t Let Your Mates Drink and Drown campaign is urging 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.
Royal Life Saving Society’s NSW CEO David Macallister said the culture of drinking around water means men are at greater risk of drowning.
“We all know that men are prone to taking unnecessary risks and over-estimating 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.
The Don’t Let your Mates Drink and Drown campaign targets men aged over 34 as research shows they are at higher risk of drinking and drowning than teenagers or young men.
“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” Mr Macallister said.
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.
“There has been great success in reducing drink driving on our roads, but rates of drinking whilst swimming or boating remain frighteningly high,” Mr Macallister said.
Royal Life Saving believe that the culture of drinking around water is a big factor in male drowning. Mr Macallister said 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 coordination, delaying reaction time, and heightening the chance of hypothermia.
Royal Life Saving are urging men to look out for their mates and stand up to the sorts of risk taking behaviour that can lead to accidents and drowning.
As part of the Don’t Let Your Mates Drink and Drown campaign Royal Life Saving is alerting people of the dangers of mixing alcohol and water through social media advertising, local events, print advertising in pubs and clubs, and through key community groups. Additionally, Royal Life Saving are releasing a series of community services announcements on TV, radio, and print to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking around waterways, and encouraging men to look out for each other.
