Increase in the Number of Accidental Drownings

Today, Santé Publique France publishes the main findings of its NOYADES survey in the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin. This survey, conducted every three years during the summer, was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Sports, and the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition.
There has been a significant increase in the number of accidental drownings in France (1,266 in 2015 and 1,649 in 2018) and a stabilization in the number of accidental drownings resulting in death (436 in 2015 and 406 in 2018). The increase in accidental drownings between the summers of 2015 and 2018 is observed primarily among children under 13 (338 in 2015 and 600 in 2018). Among children under 6, the increase across all swimming locations is 96% (226 in 2015 and 443 in 2018) and 132% (96 in 2015 and 223 in 2018) for private family pools alone. Also among children under 6, 25 drownings resulting in death occurred during the summer of 2018 in private family pools, whereas this figure was 13 during the summer of 2015. Accidental drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in everyday life for those under 25.

The Ministry of Sports is implementing a plan to combat drowning and initiatives to support children as they discover the aquatic environment

In light of the results of the 2018 DROWNING survey, the Ministry of Sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, is fully committed to combating this risk, which particularly affects our children during the summer. In April 2019, Sports Minister Roxana MARACINEANU launched the “Water Safety” plan. This plan aims to better prevent drowning risks by making parents responsible for teaching their children the basics of floating from a very young age, while also raising their awareness of the joys of water. The “Water Safety” plan is also supported by a €15 million initiative to expand swimming pool infrastructure, particularly learning pools in underserved areas.

Furthermore, as part of the national “I’m Learning to Swim” program, whose budget was doubled in 2019 (€3 million), the Ministry of Sports funds swimming lessons throughout France during school vacations, on weekends, or during after-school hours. This program is open to children ages 4 through 12. Starting in 2020, the Minister of Sports plans to expand it to adults. Since its inception, this program has enabled 310,000 children to learn to swim. The goal is to reach an additional 120,000 children in 2019.

To complement this program, the Ministry of Sports has produced a series of seven tutorials. These instructional videos, each 2 minutes long and aimed at families, were filmed in a swimming pool. They enable parents to teach their child(ren) the basic skills needed to become familiar with the aquatic environment and stay safer in the water. These tutorials are available on the Ministry of Sports’ website: http://www.sports.gouv.fr/Aisance-Aquatique/

A study on the signage of swimming areas will also be launched in collaboration with AFNOR to assess opportunities for updating French regulations to ensure greater consistency with the national regulations of neighboring countries and countries with high numbers of tourists visiting France.