XN000022-1982-05-08 — Page 8

SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1982

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SWIMMING TOPS WATER SPORTS ACCIDENT RATE

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SWIMMING WAS STILL BY FAR THE TOP-MOST ACCIDENT-PRONE WATER SPORT IN 1981, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST REPORT ON +ACCIDENTS ARISING FROM OUTDOOR PURSUITS+ COMPILED BY THE COMMITTEE ON SAFETY IN OUTDOOR PURSUITS.

STATISTICS BASED ON DATA PROVIDED BY THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE AND THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT REVEALED THAT OF THE 1 365 REPORTED AQUATIC SPORTS ACCIDENTS CLAIMING 13 LĪVES, 1 312 OR OVER 96 PER CENT WERE RELATED TO SWIMMING, RESULTING IN 11 PEOPLE DROWNED.

+SWIMMING IS THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF WATER SPORT IN HONG KONG IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE UNLIKE OTHER AQUATIC ACTIVITIES, IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY EQUIPMENT OR TEAM MATES,+ SAID MR CHAM SIU-LEUN, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE SAFETY IN OUTDOOR PURSUITS.

+BUT AS WE ALL KNOW, FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT, AND MANY SWIMMERS NEGLECT THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVING THE BASIC SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.

+IN MANY CASES, IF THE PARTICIPANTS HAD BEEN MORE CAREFUL, ACCIDENTS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, MR CHAM ADDED.

COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THERE WAS AN OVERALL DROP OF 11 PER CENT IN WATER SPORTS ACCIDENT RATE IN 1981.

THE MOST DRASTIC DECREASE WAS FOUND IN ROWING ACCIDENTS. IT DROPPED FROM 93 IN 1980 TO ONLY FIVE IN 1981.

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CANOEING ALSO DECREASED FROM 26 TO TWO AND THOSE INVOLVING SCUBA DIVING FROM TWO TO NIL.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE ACCIDENT FIGURES FOR PLEASURE BOATING NEARLY DOUBLED, RISING FROM 24 IN 1980 TO 46 IN 1981.

MR CHAM STRESSED THAT DESPITE THE OVERALL REDUCTION IN ACCIDENT RATE, PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON SAFETY RULES SHOULD NOT BE SLACKENED.

+THE GOVERNMENT, VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER COMMUNITY BODIES WILL CONTINUE TO ORGANISE SAFETY DEMONSTRATIONS AND PLAY-IN SESSIONS THIS YEAR, HE SAID.

+WHILE THE LACK OF PLAY SAFE AWARENESS IS THE MAIN CAUSE FOR ACCIDENTS, LEARNING AND PRACTISING THE SAFETY HINTS SUGGESTED BY EXPERTS ARE THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT THEM,+ HE ADDED.