Let’s face it; having a pool on your property is great! Pools look great, families love them, friends love them and they increase the value of your property. On a hot day in California or Nevada you need two things: a BBQ and a swimming pool. Have family & friends over, fire up some great food and splash away. Having this backyard icon on your property brings with it increased risk and responsibility.
-Drowning Statistics-
- Each day in the United States, nine people drown.
- For each death caused by drowning, there are 1-4 nonfatal submersion accidents serious enough for the victim to be hospitalized.
- Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14.
- Drowning is the leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4.
- The most common place for a 1-4-year old child to drown is in a home swimming pool.
- In nearly 9 out of 10 child-drowning deaths, a parent or caregiver claimed to be watching the child.
The statistics do not lie and the gruesome truths noted above bring real dangers to your home. Because children are at a high risk of pool related deaths and injuries, it is important to take steps to protect your children from the pool area.
-Action steps to protect your pool area-
- Four-sided fencing that isolates the pool from the house and the yard has shown to decrease the number of drowning injuries anywhere from 50 to 90 percent.
-Homeowners and Landlords-
As a rule of thumb, you should always strongly suggest for your tenants to have their own renters insurance policy with personal liability included. You need to make sure that their liabilities do not become your own. A pool related injury or fatality will always be indirectly the fault of the property owner. Make sure you have personal liability protection as a homeowner whether it is your primary residence or an investment property. Having properly placed personal liability protection is essential when a pool is present on the property.
As a bonus…your insurance premiums are discounted when proper perimeter fencing is present.
-Jacob Pullen, CIC-
Pullen Family Insurance Agency
Sources:
“Water-Related Injuries: Fact Sheet.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 12, 2008.
“Water-Related Injuries: Fact Sheet.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 12, 2007.