AND FAMILIES ARE HEADING TO THE WATER TO BEAT THE HEAT IN THE SUMMER. AND BUT IF YOU’RE ARE
YOU DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO
KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE. KIMBERLY
GILL IS HERE WITH AN EYE OPENING
REPORT ON A LAYER OF PROTECTION
YOU MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED
KIMBERLY HI, GUYS. YOU KNOW, I
TALK ABOUT MY SON A LOT. BASIL
HE’S THREE YEARS OLD. HE’S BEEN
TAKING SWIMMING LESSONS SINCE HE
WAS ABOUT 18 MONTHS OLD OR SO,
AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT
EXPERTS SAY THAT YOU NEED TO DO
TO KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE AROUND
THE WATER. OF COURSE, ADULT
SUPERVISION IS SOMETHING ELSE
THAT HELPS. BUT THERE’S
SOMETHING ELSE THAT MAYBE YOU
DIDN’T THINK OF THAT CAN ALSO
HELP THEM TO STAY SAFE,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE STRUGGLING
IN THE WATER, AND IT HAS TO DO
WITH THE COLOR OF THEIR
SWIMSUIT. WHEN IT COMES TO
PICKING OUT YOUR CHILD SWIMSUIT
COLOR MAY NOT BE THE TOP CONCERN
, BUT IT SHOULD BE. THE COLOR OF
THE SUIT IS IMPORTANT. IT REALLY
IS. IT’S JUST VISIBILITY IS THE
EASTERN DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
FOR THE METRO PARKS. WE MET UP
WITH HIM AT THE LAKE ST CLAIR
METRO PARK IN HARRISON TOWNSHIP
, WHERE YOU CAN JUMP IN THE
LAKE. COOL OFF AT THE SPLASH PAD
OR TAKE A PLUNGE IN THE POOL. DO
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. COLOR OF
THE SHIRT YOU’RE WEARING WOULD
BE MUCH MORE VISIBLE IN THE
WATER THAN WHAT I’M WEARING
RIGHT NOW. HOP SAYS THERE’S A
REASON CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WEAR
BRIGHT COLORS. IT’S ALL ABOUT
BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT PERSON
FROM A DISTANCE. THAT’S THE SAME
THING YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT.
WHEN YOU’RE PURCHASING SWIMMING
SUITS FOR YOUR CHILDREN MAKES IT
EASIER TO NOTICE THE PERSON IF
THEY HAPPEN TO BE IN DISTRESS,
THAT THOSE COLORS JUST KIND OF
DRAW THE EYE. NATURALLY HOW MUCH
DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? TAKE A
LOOK AT THIS STUDY CONDUCTED BY
A LIVE SOLUTIONS. IT SHOWS HOW
VISIBLE EACH SUIT COLOR IS
UNDERWATER WHEN THE SURFACE IS
STILL OR CHURNED UP, THIS STUDY
FOUND THE MOST VISIBLE COLORS
WERE NEON ORANGE AND NEON PINK.
THE LEAST VISIBLE WORK WHITE AND
LIGHT BLUE BASICALLY DISAPPEAR
IN THE POOL. TO TEST IT OUT FOR
OURSELVES. WE GATHERED A GROUP
OF KIDS IN DIFFERENT COLORED
SUITS FOR BOYS. WATCH HOW
QUICKLY DANIELS WHITE SWIM SHIRT
BLENDS IN WITH THE WATER
COMPARING WHITE AND ORANGE SIDE
BY SIDE WILLS. ORANGE WAS THE
OBVIOUS WINNER, WHILE DYLAN AND
NEIL WERE VISIBLE IN NAVY AND
BLACK EXPERTS SAY DARK COLORS
ARE NOT THE SAFEST CHOICE
BECAUSE THEY CAN LOOK LIKE
SHADOWS OR DEBRIS ON THE BOTTOM
OF THE POOL. WITH A GIRL’S
PARKER’S NEON PINK DEFINITELY
POPPED FROM A DISTANCE. WE ALSO
LOOKED AT PASTEL PATTERNS OF
POPULAR CHOICE FOR SWIMSUITS,
EVEN UP CLOSE AND JUST A FEW
FEET OF WATER. LOOK AT HOW
PRACTICALLY INVISIBLE ADDY IS ON
THE RIGHT COMPARED TO MIA ON THE
LEFT. WE SAW THE SAME ISSUE WITH
AVERY’S PASTEL SWIM TRUCKS. THEY
EASILY BLEND WITH THE WATER.
DARA BEZELS. TWIN SONS, DANIEL
AND DYLAN WERE PART OF OUR TEST
SWIM LESSONS VERY EARLY ON
BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY WERE SAFE AND
COMFORTABLE. IN THE WATER
NOTICED ANY IMMEDIATE DIFFERENCE
WITH THEIR SWIM SHIRTS. ACTUALLY
TELL THE NAVY BLUE A LOT BETTER
THAN THE WHITE SOMETHING SHE’LL
REMEMBER WHEN IT’S TIME FOR NEW
SUITS LOOKING FOR BRIGHTER
COLORS. IT’S NOT I WOULD NOT GO
SO MUCH WITH THE WHITE WALKER IS
MOM TO PARKER AND AVERY, WHILE
PARKER PREFERS PASTELS, NEON
PINK WAS CERTAINLY A HIT WITH
MOM. I THOUGHT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
GREAT. AND THEN ONCE SHE WAS
SWIMMING, I WAS ABLE TO PASSING
TRADE RIGHT THERE TO MAKE SURE
SHE WAS OKAY AND SIX SOLUTIONS
ALSO TESTED VARIOUS COLORS IN 18
INCHES OF LAKE WATER COLORS WERE
NEON, YELLOW, NEON GREEN AND
NEON ORANGE. ALL THE OTHER
COLORS QUICKLY DISAPPEARED. BUT
REMEMBER, THIS IS THE VISIBILITY
IN A MERE 18 INCHES OF WATER, A
CLEAR EXAMPLE OF WHY LIFE
JACKETS ARE SO IMPORTANT ON OUR
LAKES AS YOU PREPARE FOR A FUN
SUMMER AHEAD, TAKE A MOMENT TO
CONSIDER HOW VISIBLE YOUR CHILD
WOULD BE. IF THEY DID GET INTO
TROUBLE IN THE WATER. IN THE
END, THIS GRANDMOTHER SUMMED IT
UP BEST, THE BRIGHTER THE BETTER
. THAT’S RIGHT. YES THAT’S RIGHT
. THE BRIGHTER THE BETTER IS THE
MORAL OF THIS STORY. YOU KNOW
WHAT IT CAN JUST MAKE IT SO MUCH
EASIER TO EVEN SUPERVISE YOUR
CHILD WHEN THEY GOT THAT BRIGHT
NEON SWIM SHIRT ON, SO IT’S VERY
IMPORTANT. IT’S A IT’S A GREAT
STORY. I THOUGHT, AND I WANTED
TO BRING IT TO ALL OF YOU
BECAUSE WHEN I FOUND OUT YOU
KNOW, I JUST I NEVER REALLY EVEN
PAID ATTENTION TO THE COLOR OF
SWIMSUIT THAT I CHOSE FOR BASIL,
BUT I CERTAINLY DO NOW, IF YOU’D
LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE TESTING
AND HOW THOSE COLORS DID IN THE
TEST. YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE
CLICKONDETROIT’S DOT COM BACK TO
YOU, PAM LOVE IT, TOO, RIGHT? IT
WAS REALLY VALUABLE INFORMATION
. AND CAN I KNOW THIS ISSUE OF
WATER SAFETY IS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO YOU TELL US ABOUT IT. YEAH
YOU’RE RIGHT. YOU KNOW, MY DAD.
HE WAS AN EXCELLENT SWIMMER. IT
WAS A LIFELONG PASSION FOR HIM,
AND I WANT BASIL TO BE AN
EXCELLENT SWIMMER AS WELL AND
IT’S SOMETHING THAT HE CAN ENJOY
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. BUT
YOU KNOW, STATISTICS SHOW THAT A
LOT OF KIDS ARE NOT LEARNING HOW
TO SWIM, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO AFRICAN AMERICAN KIDS,
AND THE CDC SAYS ONE IN SIX
KIDS. ARE MORE LIKELY TO BLACK
KIDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO DROWN IN
THE WATER THAN THEIR WHITE
COUNTERPARTS. SO YOU KNOW,
CERTAINLY CERTAINLY I DON’T WANT
MY SON TO BE A STATISTIC, SO
THAT’S WHY I SPEND THE TIME AND
INVESTMENT IN TRYING TO GET HIM
SWIM LESSONS. AND I BRING YOU
THIS STORY SO OFFER. YOU CAN DO
ALL THE THINGS TO KEEP YOUR KIDS