Drowning Prevention Week aims to remind all who swim or boat about the dangers associated with activities in the open water.

Park Ranger Tracy Spry says drowning is the Nation’s second leading cause of accidental death, yet it is possible just by wearing a life jacket these drowning deaths can be reduced.

“Statistics show that 90 percent of those who drown at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes and rivers may have survived if they had worn a life jacket,” Spry says.

Spry says swimming in open water is more difficult than in a controlled environment, and a life jacket can help protect against changing conditions. She says to always pay extra attention to kids, as it only takes 20 seconds for a child to drown.

Several people drown each year within 10 feet of safety because the people around them did not recognize that they were drowning. The four signs of a drowning victim include head back, gasping for air, no yelling or sound and arms slapping the water looking like they are trying to climb out of the water.