New Jersey nonprofit launches massive water safety effort to reduce drownings in state with dozens killed every year

A New Jersey nonprofit has launched an initiative seeking to reduce death by drowning by 30% by 2030 just as summer is about to kick into full gear.Drowning is a national epidemic — and the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 across the country as well as the second leading cause of unintentional injury for those ages 5-14.The Garden State, with rich aquatic resources including miles of coastline and a bounty of lakes, rivers, pools and water parks, sees an average of 64 drowning deaths each year, 10 of which are children under 14.The New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance (NJSSA), a nonprofit dedicated to saving lives through education and awareness, has established a coalition of water safety experts working to reduce death by drowning by 30% by the year 2030.

This collaborative approach, through a series of summits, conferences and panel discussions, have formulated a six-point game plan to ensure fewer families will know the tragedy of losing a loved one to drowning, called the New Jersey Water Safety Strategy.“At NJSSA, we believe that swimming is an essential life skill that every child should have access to, and we are resolute in our mission to reduce drowning incidents in New Jersey by 30% by 2030,” wrote Cait Waxler and Lynda Tower, the board chair and executive director of NJSSA.“While this seems like a simple thing, drowning is a danger that most people do not think about.

The New Jersey Water Safety Strategy has transformed our ambitious objective into a strategic plan.It reflects not only our commitment to saving lives, but also our dedication to fostering a collaborative culture of water safety throughout the state.”The first major step is creating a reliable, comprehensive database including all New Jersey drowning deaths, broken out by body of water, ethnicity, age and gender, including survivors who are dealing with lifetime effects.The data will be shared among key stakeholders to support informed decision-making and collaborative e...