Swedes call for a Vision Zero plan to prevent drowning accidents

The Swedish Lifesavers' Association has called for a Vision Zero plan for drowning accidents.

A total 137 Swedes died in drowning accidents last year, and now there are calls to introduce an initiative modeled on Sweden's Vision Zero plan for road deaths, which was introduced in the late 90s.

"We have, for a number of years, seen an increase in the number of deaths by drowning. If you look at the number of deaths in traffic, you can see that casualty figures dropped significantly with the introduction of a Vision Zero plan, which has received support from politicians at the highest level," Karin Brand of the Lifesavers' Association told Swedish Television on Thursday.

Brand's organization conducts swimming training in schools around Sweden and is responsible for introducing swimming to the national curriculum.

However, Brand insisted those efforts are not enough and pointed out that a majority of those who drown in Sweden are men in their fifties.

Stefan Anering of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency told Swedish Television that this is an important matter and that public awareness should be heightened. However, he stopped short of pushing for parliamentary involvement, suggesting instead a focus on preventative work. Endit