Many factors contribute to drowning amongst this population:
Water is an unpredictable and dangerous element often under estimated. As reported by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2013, 77 percent of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims, eighty-four percent were not wearing a life jacket.
Life jackets are the cheapest form of life insurance your money can buy. They provide the one thing that can make a difference in most drowning incidents. They provide time. Wearing a life vest can help save lives when people are thrown from the vessel, the vessel sinks or capsizes, the passenger is rendered unconscious or the swimmer underestimates the power of the currents or overestimates their swimming ability.
The most common element in adult water-related incidents is swimming alone. You are never old enough to swim by yourself. Children are taught that they must have an adult watching them and to always “swim with a buddy” as they get older. The same is true for teens and adults.