how many under fives used to drown in pools?
how many fell downstairs
ran out into the road
etc etc
all seems silly to me, kids that small have to be supervised all the time, parent's problem
and yes, I have small children
French Swimming pool Regulations - Renting
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Highams Park Harry
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Dordogne Holiday Cottage, sleeps eight
http://www.ruedelagare.co.uk
http://www.ruedelagare.co.uk
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
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- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
I don't have any answers other than to say "not many", but one is too many.
Tell me. Who is the guilty party? The ogre of a property owner who has a pool or the irresponsible parent who doesn’t superintend its children? I’m all for sensible safety systems but I don’t believe one can shift responsibility onto others.
For me, one of the main problems is the modern attitude that, when anything goes wrong, it has to be someone else’s fault and the immediate reaction “I want compensation�. In other words “I will do nothing but I want to paid if something goes wrong�. Well, it’s an attitude I don’t accept particularly when it involves the well-being of young children.
I note from your Web Site that you do not have a pool but recommend a local swimming lake. I know the same regulations do not apply but does the swimming lake have an alarm system or a fence/wall with gates? Does it have a rigid cover or an abri? Young children drown in rivers and in the sea. Do rivers or the sea have alarms and fences, etc? Of course not!
As you say “all seems silly to me, kids that small have to be supervised all the time, parent's problem�. What’s doubly silly is that France has adopted this sort of thing at the same time as Denmark is getting rid of it after 15 years. Why? Because it is ineffective.
Tell me. Who is the guilty party? The ogre of a property owner who has a pool or the irresponsible parent who doesn’t superintend its children? I’m all for sensible safety systems but I don’t believe one can shift responsibility onto others.
For me, one of the main problems is the modern attitude that, when anything goes wrong, it has to be someone else’s fault and the immediate reaction “I want compensation�. In other words “I will do nothing but I want to paid if something goes wrong�. Well, it’s an attitude I don’t accept particularly when it involves the well-being of young children.
I note from your Web Site that you do not have a pool but recommend a local swimming lake. I know the same regulations do not apply but does the swimming lake have an alarm system or a fence/wall with gates? Does it have a rigid cover or an abri? Young children drown in rivers and in the sea. Do rivers or the sea have alarms and fences, etc? Of course not!
As you say “all seems silly to me, kids that small have to be supervised all the time, parent's problem�. What’s doubly silly is that France has adopted this sort of thing at the same time as Denmark is getting rid of it after 15 years. Why? Because it is ineffective.
I have shamelessly copied this, but the statistics are interesting and back up what you are all saying about the stupidity of the swimming pool legislation.
This is a summary of deaths by drowning iin France from June to September 2003:
Swimming Pools 57 deaths
Sea 160 deaths
Lakes 88 deaths
Rivers 105 deaths
Other including paddling pools, garden ponds, baths 20 deaths
The majority of these deaths and drowning accidents occurred in the departements of Languedoc, the Riviera and Aquitaine.
Of the 57 deaths in swimming pools, which includes private and public ones, more than half were over 6 years of age. Of the deaths in rivers, 68% were between 20 and 64 years and shock was the main cause of death.
This is a summary of deaths by drowning iin France from June to September 2003:
Swimming Pools 57 deaths
Sea 160 deaths
Lakes 88 deaths
Rivers 105 deaths
Other including paddling pools, garden ponds, baths 20 deaths
The majority of these deaths and drowning accidents occurred in the departements of Languedoc, the Riviera and Aquitaine.
Of the 57 deaths in swimming pools, which includes private and public ones, more than half were over 6 years of age. Of the deaths in rivers, 68% were between 20 and 64 years and shock was the main cause of death.
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Susan,
There we go, we have some basic facts.
From the basic facts it’s the “mature� people who need protection, not the under five’s.
From the basic facts it’s not swimming pools but the sea, lakes and rivers that need safety systems.
From the basic facts we don’t need protection against drowning, we need protection against shock.
From the basic facts we don’t need protection against reality; we need protection against politicians and bureaucrats. Isn’t that always the way of the world?
As Harry says “all seems silly to me�.
Alan
There we go, we have some basic facts.
From the basic facts it’s the “mature� people who need protection, not the under five’s.
From the basic facts it’s not swimming pools but the sea, lakes and rivers that need safety systems.
From the basic facts we don’t need protection against drowning, we need protection against shock.
From the basic facts we don’t need protection against reality; we need protection against politicians and bureaucrats. Isn’t that always the way of the world?
As Harry says “all seems silly to me�.
Alan