Another year is in the books, so it is time to go over one last month and take a look at 2022 as a whole. Below are the drowning stats for December 2022 and a deeper look at the overall numbers for the year.
Read on to learn more.
Understanding the Drowning Statistics for December 2022 and Beyond
For over 14 years, the water safety experts at Total Aquatic Programming have collected specific drowning statistics for the nation. These numbers collate all of the publicly reported drowning cases that occurred across the nation during each month. The drowning statistics for December 2022 continue this tradition.
These drowning stats help water safety experts to improve general education and life-saving rescue practices across the industry. In turn, this knowledge is spread to the general community. The goal is to find practical solutions that limit drowning danger over time.
The specific drowning data tracked for each drowning include:
- date
- state
- city
- county
- age and gender of the victim
- ethnicity, if recorded
- body of water in which the drowning occurred
- and several other circumstances that can help to provide some guidance in the prevention of future drownings.
As always, if you are interested in learning more about this data, we encourage you to listen to our in-depth interview with Total Aquatic Programming’s Mick Nelson.
Chart: Drowning Stats for December 2022
To close the year, December 2022 was unfortunately worse than the previous two Decembers. At 63 total drowning incidents, there has been a slight increase. Granted, the previous years were much more influenced by conditions of the pandemic.
While there has been a rise in drownings, it is important to keep in mind just how strange the past few years have been compared to today. So perhaps there is another way of viewing these numbers. It is possible that now that we’ve largely returned to “normal” life, people are a bit more cautious around the water.
Ice Danger
Even with keeping the above in mind, an increase in drowning is always bad news. To this end, 20 percent of these drownings were due to ice-related incidents. This can include falling through the ice, cars swerving into water due to icy conditions and even cold water shock.
As you can see, ice is deadlier than many of us realize. For this reason, we’ve written several articles that cover these topics. In particular, cold water shock is a phenomenon that is important to understand. Let us explain: cold water shock is a natural reaction your body has when it is suddenly submerged in frigid water. Instinctually, you will gasp for air. However, since you are underwater, you will accidentally fill your lungs with freezing water. Obviously, this is not good. In addition, the disorientating situation can cause panic, which leads to even more danger. Our detailed blog, linked above, can provide more information.
Finally, watch this video to learn how to save yourself if you end up falling through the ice:
2022: Looking Back
In terms of drowning stats, 2022 has been a relatively positive year. It certainly was not the lowest drowning rates we’ve ever seen, but it is nowhere near the worst. This is the case across all age groups.
Just a few short years ago, these overall numbers were significantly higher. For a heartening takeaway, it does appear that the education is working. People are being more cautious around the water, sharing educational details amongst their inner circles and practicing better safety procedures.
In the end, when taking all of these 14 years of drowning stats into account, there is good news. If drownings were increasing at the same rate as population growth, they would be 16% higher than they are. That’s good news and means that the education is working.
In 2023 and beyond, let’s all make a commitment to spread water safety knowledge far and wide. The more people we share this information with, the safer we will all be.
Happy New Year, everyone!
