As summer approaches and families head to beaches and pools, a crucial safety tip emerges: the color of your child’s swimsuit could be a lifesaver. Consumer watchdog Which? has issued an urgent alert on Instagram highlighting the importance of choosing bright neon swimwear for children.
According to Which?, vibrant neon colors remain highly visible underwater, contrasting sharply with pale blues and whites that can become almost invisible. This makes it difficult to spot a child in distress. Alive Solutions, a company specializing in water safety, conducted tests in both open waters and swimming pools, evaluating the visibility of various colors and patterns.
The tests, conducted from different angles (surface level, shore perspective, and from above at a shallow depth), revealed that many swimwear designs were barely visible. Neon yellow, green, and orange consistently stood out as the most visible choices, while other hues faded away.
In swimming pools, vibrant and contrasting hues remained the most noticeable. Which? emphasizes that swimwear in white and light blue proved to be the least visible. They explain that while darker colors could be seen, they could easily be mistaken for shadows or dirt.
Alive Solutions also found that block colors were more noticeable than patterns, with neon colors topping the list. However, the study revealed that small patterns, whether light or dark, did not drastically influence visibility. Large dark patterns, on the other hand, significantly reduced visibility. For example, a solid neon orange swimsuit is easier to spot against a dark pool bottom than a neon orange piece featuring big navy stripes.
Therefore, when shopping for children’s swimwear, prioritize neon hues to maximize safety. Remember, choosing the right color could make a crucial difference in a potentially dangerous situation.
