How Can Technology Prevent Drowning?

Photo of a pool

According to the U.S. National Centers for Disease Control, “in as little as 20 seconds a child can drown unnoticed. For an adult, it only takes about one minute.” Moreover, “any given swimming pool is nearly 100 times more likely to kill a child than any given gun,” says Freakonomics.

There are few options besides teaching parents and lifeguards to be vigilant when monitoring kids and adults swimming. Fortunately, a company has just released a new product that hopes to reduce the leading cause of death for children under five: drowning.

What is the iSwimBand?

Aquatic Safety Concepts (ASC) released a new product called the iSwimBand. A parent can put this wearable technology on the wrist or head of their child. The yellow band has a device that syncs with an iPhone, iPod or iTouch.

KXAN says, “If a child is in the water for too long, a loud alarm will go off, alerting parents or someone supervising that a kid is possibly in danger.”

Sadly, the showcase of this technology comes on the heels of a fatal drowning involving two Georgetown kids. The July 6 drowning of a four-year-old and a six-year-old has shown the importance of the iSwimBand. FOX 7 says that the parents were no more than 15 feet away from the children when the accident occurred.

Although nothing replaces diligent supervision, the ASC says the iSwimBand adds an added layer of protection when around water. That extra security could have given those two children from Georgetown a fighting chance for survival.

Did You Know? According to Safekids Worldwide, 88 percent of children drown under some form of supervision.

The Law Offices of Aaron Allison – Austin Personal Injury Attorney