It can save the lives of young and old.
Drowning is the leading cause of death from everyday accidents among people under 25, and affects all ages. According to Public Health France. 27% of drownings are fatal each year in France and 30% concern children under 6 years old. Swimming involves risks but there is a simple way, within everyone’s reach, to reduce them and that involves the color of the swimsuit. “The color of a child’s swimsuit (and also an adult’s swimsuit, editor’s note) can have a significant impact on their visibility in the water, which is crucial to prevent drowning.” explained Bernard Fisher, director of health and safety for the American Lifeguard Association, in a message relayed by CNN.
Some colors can actually “blend” a person into the environment he is in, while others make him easier to spot. The company Alive Solutionsa water safety company, has tested the effectiveness of certain swimsuit colors that are easier to spot in the water. In tests, its experts placed swimsuits of different colors in swimming pools and lakes to determine their visibility. The results: white and light blue swimsuits are not visible enough and can even disappear completely in the pool water. According to Bernard Fisher “People should avoid light blue, gray or green swimsuits, as they can blend into the water, making it difficult to spot a child”. Conversely, certain colors can save them.
“Bright, high-contrast colors stand out more clearly on the water, helping rescuers and parents quickly spot a child, especially in an emergency.” continues Bernard Fisher. In the swimming pool “our top picks would be neon pink and neon orange” according to experts from Alive Solutions. While in a lake (where the water is much darker) “The most visible colors were fluorescent yellow/green/fluorescent orange.” By choosing a swimsuit in one of these three colors, your child will be much more visible to you, surrounding swimmers and lifeguards.
Be careful though, the color of the child’s swimsuit is not the only factor guaranteeing their safety, it only allows them to be monitored more easily in the water. To avoid the risk of drowning, Public Health France recommend to learn “for children to swim as early as possible” and to familiarize them “to be comfortable in water from a young age”. Parents should monitor “children all the time”always stay “near them when they play at the water’s edge” and bathe “with them when they are in the water.”