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The chances of your survival after drowning depends on the location, a new study finds.

In the study, researchers found that there was a significant difference between rural and urban drowning rates.

“Ontarians from rural areas are almost three times more likely to die of drowning than urban residents,” said Dr. Stephen Hwang of the Center for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital in a press release.

The reasons, which researchers assume is rural residents’ increased access to open water and fewer resources to learn swimming.

In another study, which was published in Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, it was concluded that most drownings occur in public places. It included open water, recreation centers and parks.

“Even though most occur in public, four out of five drownings happen without a witness,” said Jason Buick, lead author and a University of Toronto graduate student in a press release. “Canadians aren’t using good judgment when it comes to water safety.”

Researchers used a database of cardiac cases which were attended by Toronto Area paramedic services. After analyzing the database they found that bystanders performed CPR for 50 percent of all drownings. They also concluded that despite being more likely to receive bystander CPR, the victim’s five per cent chance of survival is as low as all other kinds of cardiac arrests.

Hence more needs to be done to improve the survival rates.

“We can improve survival by emphasizing the importance of providing CPR and by teaching more people to perform it,” added Buick.

Recently the Lifesaving Society of Canada estimated that between 400 and 500 people drown countrywide every year.

The rural drowning rates study was published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education. The study analyzed data composed of five years of Ontario drowning.