To bathe, or not to bathe

DURING the summer months, the message sent out by authorities and police departments is clear - don't drink and drive.

But these days, I'm hearing a different message and fitting for the area in which we now live - don't drink and dive.

The amount of beach and pool related deaths is astounding. The sun shines and the thermometers are fit for busting so it's no surprise we all feel the need to delve into the fridge for a tinny or two and cool off in the water.

Statistics have shown that over a six year period, there were 1,551 non-boating accidental drownings in Australia. Of these, 77 per cent were males and 23 were females. The presence of drugs, including alcohol, was recorded in 148 of the 1,096 that were over the age of 14.

Private swimming pools accounted for 17 per cent of all drownings. 64 per cent were toddlers, 66 per cent of which were male. A significant feature in this group is that of all private pool drownings over the age of 34 years, 63 per cent were female.

That final figure surprised me. The highest number of statistical pool related deaths are of women with more than thirty years under their belt. Old enough to know better, or not, it just goes to show that when your number's up, your number's up...