Pool fences have saved countless lives! “Safeguarding a pool with a perimeter fence or mechanical cover is something that every owner should do,” says Seth Gilman, senior vice president at Poms & Associates, an insurance brokerage in Woodland Hills, Calif.
A four-sided fence — one that completely isolates the pool from the yard and the house — reduces the risk of a child drowning by 83 percent, according to the CDC.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the No. 2 cause of death for children age 1 to 14 and the sixth-leading cause of unintentional death for people of all ages.
About 300 children under age 5 drown in swimming pools every year; the pools usually are at their own homes. One-third of these drownings occur at pools owned by friends or relatives, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
