We’re supporting the Royal Life Saving Society’s annual Don’t Drink and Drown campaign.
Did you know that more than a quarter of all accidental drowning victims had alcohol and/or drugs in their system?
Latest stats show that nearly 450 accidentally drowned in the last five years whilst under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. That’s an average of 90 per year. Many of these drowned because they walked alone near water and fell in.
We are helping RLSS UK in their efforts to cut down the number of intoxicated drownings and are urging people to #BEAMATE by looking out for their friends.
The key messages are:
- Look out for your friends, make sure they get home safely
- If you’ve had a drink, stay away from the water
- Find an alternative route home, don’t walk home near the water
- Stay away from the water in winter, cold water shock kills
When drinking, remember the effects this can have on you:
- Alcohol lowers inhibitions, leading to impaired judgement which means you are more likely to take risks and get in trouble
- Alcohol limits muscle ability making simple movements much harder
- Alcohol slows down your reactions making it more difficult to get yourself out of trouble
- Alcohol numbs the senses making swimming very difficult
The Don’t Drink and Drown campaign, this year running from 2 to 9 December, was first launched in 2014 following a string of tragic drownings of young people.