NJ SJR106

Designates May 15 of each year as "Water Safety Day" in New Jersey to raise awareness for safe water practices and accident prevention.

Requests the Governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing the day and calls upon public officials and citizens to observe it with appropriate activities and programs.

Drowning causes over 4,000 unintentional U.S. fatalities annually with an estimated $53 billion in direct and indirect costs, and is the second leading cause of death for children ages one to 14.

Drowning disproportionately affects communities of color, with 64% of African-American children and 45% of Hispanic children lacking the ability to swim, and African-American children ages 5-19 being 5.5 times more likely to drown in swimming pools.

Formal swim lessons for children under four have been shown to reduce drowning risk by 88%.