Summer and the swimming season are approaching, and there is great concern that there will be many drowning accidents in the heat.
This year alone, 14 people have died by drowning in Sweden.
Several initiatives are now underway to increase swimming skills.
Last year, 70 people lost their lives in drowning accidents around the country, 55 of them were adult men. Statistically speaking, the number of drownings decreases over time, but bathing-related drownings in particular go against the statistics and have remained relatively stable over time.
In Borås, they have therefore started a swimming school for adults, and the interest has been enormous.
– We have had over 350 applications, but we only have 80 places now in June, says swimming teacher Hans Jakobsson. He believes that those who applied want to be safe in water, be able to fall in and get back up.
15 percent of Swedes cannot swim
Jill Af Edholm at the Swedish Lifesaving Society says that 1.5 million Swedes cannot swim today. Despite that, Sweden is relatively good internationally, and among the country’s sixth graders, you can see that swimming skills are decreasing. According to her, it is partly an effect of the pandemic, but also that the country’s swimming pools do not have enough free opening hours and that it is often a long way to the pools.
The Swedish Lifesaving Society now wants the school to work on increasing swimming skills, but also pay attention to the target groups that are easily forgotten.
The reason why men are overrepresented in the drowning statistics, Jill Af Edholm believes, is because people overestimate their swimming ability and that men more often go out on the lake alone and without a life jacket. She believes that you should never go out to sea alone and that you should always keep an eye on each other.
Looking forward to the summer
In 2018, 135 people died in Sweden by drowning, and since then the number has steadily decreased. But, according to Jill Af Edholm, the warm summer weather that is predicted to come could lead to an increase in incidents this year.
– We look forward to the summer with concern, keep an eye on each other and put the phone away at the swimming pool.
If the accident is in the water
Always consider your own safety before taking action
Call the attention of those around you by shouting “HELP!”
Call 112!
Look around for something floating (lifebuoy) or something else you can use as an extended arm; rope, branch, article of clothing or the like. (You should always have an object between you and the distressed person that you can drop if you are about to be pulled down)
Source: Swedish Lifesaving Society