Fact Sheets- Canadian Red Cross

Fact Sheets

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for Canadian children aged one to four.
For every toddler who dies from drowning, it is estimated there are three to five additional near drownings, which require hospitalization.
In nearly half of the infant and toddler drownings, the victims were alone.
A small child can drown in only a few inches of water – enough to cover the mouth and nose.
Drowning can occur in less time than it takes to read this safety message.
The most common location for infant drownings is the bathtub.
Home swimming pools account for 38% of toddler drownings.
Since 1991, only 4% of reported toddler drownings were in pools with self-closing and self-latching gates.
If all home pools were equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, nearly all toddler pool drownings and about one-third of all toddler drownings could be eliminated.