ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOUR
Alcohol and drug use
Alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of drowning by impairing judgement and reaction time, increasing risk-taking behaviour, and reducing coordination. Medications can cause drowsiness, affect alertness, and impair reaction time. Illegal drugs can numb the senses, reduce inhibitions, and distort the perception of risk. Alcohol and drug use should be avoided around water.
Collision with watercraft
There are many inland waterways where watercraft and boats are used, including: canoes, kayaks, dinghies, motor cruisers, water skis and wakeboarding boats. As such, there is a risk that one of these crafts may collide with a person in the water, submerged obstacle or another watercraft. The risk of a collision is increased in areas where watercraft are operating close to people who are swimming and in narrow waterways with limited ability to manoeuvre.
Crowding at popular community areas
Crowding at popular community locations or in public spaces near inland waterways, increases exposure to hazards for people visiting these areas. Although community locations in and of themselves are not hazards (if maintained and monitored properly), a popular location that is inundated with crowds of people, can become a hazard to safety. Visitation management and utilisation of ratios for organised activities at inland waterways are control measures that can improve safety and management practices at inland waterways.
Lifejacket use
Around 20% of the Australian population participate in boating and watercraft-based activities annually. Many boating-related fatalities can be attributed to not wearing a lifejacket or wearing a lifejacket improperly.
In order for a lifejacket to be effective, it must be fitted correctly and maintained appropriately.
A lifejacket should be worn by everyone including competent swimmers in open water environments when:
- Boating, jet skiing or sailing
- Using watercraft such as canoes, kayaks, paddle boards
- Fishing, including rock fishing
- Expected extended periods in the water
The safety regulations relating to the use of lifejackets vary in Australia, depending on the type of activity being undertaken, and the age of the participants. These regulations extend to the correct maintenance of lifejackets and the standards to which they are manufactured.
It is important that inland waterway users know and understand these regulations, and wear the appropriate lifejacket for their location and activity.
Risk-taking behaviour
Risk-taking behaviour involving poor decision making can also increase the risk of drowning. These risk-taking behaviours include, but not limited to:
- Alcohol consumption in, on or around water
- Not wearing a lifejacket
- Swimming alone
- Jumping into water from heights
- Swimming in fast flowing water
- Diving headfirst into water without checking depth
- Driving through flood waters or across unexamined causeways after a flood event
- Taking dangerous selfies
Swimming and water safety skills
Swimming and water safety skills are widely recognised as the key to preventing drowning. Increased drowning rates at inland waterways reinforces the importance of learning swimming, water safety and survival skills, and having knowledge of hazards and risks in different locations and situations. In order to reduce the rate of drowning, a continued focus on swimming and water safety skills is needed.
The development of swimming and water safety skills in children continues to be a concern, with up to 40% of children leaving primary school unable to achieve the minimum national benchmark for swimming and water safety skills. Royal Life Saving Society Australia research shows that participation in commercial learn to swim programs declines before 8 years of age, well before many children have developed a comprehensive set of swimming and water safety skills. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, where over 10 million swimming lessons were missed, risking a generation of non-swimmers if the 8-12 year old group does catch up on swimming and water safety education.
Access to swimming and water safety education is not evenly spread across all populations. Research shows inequalities in rural and remote communities and amongst those from lower socioeconomic areas, multicultural communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are all less likely to attend swimming and water safety education programs.
