National Safe Boating Week

People who use the water call the vests that they wear by many names.  Some of the names for these water vests are: personal flotation device, buoyancy aid, and life jacket.  They all work like a seat belt and they are useless if they are not properly on.  In an emergency there is no time to put it on.

This week is National Safe Boating Week.

“Wear It” is the slogan for this year’s campaign to promote safe and responsible boating.  There are several life jacket options available.  Today’s buoyancy aids are comfortable and lightweight (Life Jacket Information).

On the right is a link to the Wear It Florida site. “This site is likely to be the most exiting and innovative effort aimed at saving lives on Florida’s waterways.  Florida has the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in the annual number of boating deaths. Most of the people who die on Florida’s water lost their lives as a result of drowning.”

“Several trends come to the surface when you look at boating accident statistics. It is easy to identify the most likely victims: they are men over 30 years of age who have plenty of boating experience, who know how to swim, and who are in boats less than 20 feet long in fairly calm weather conditions. They usually go overboard unexpectedly for any variety of reasons, and in most cases they swim for a while until they become exhausted. Unfortunately, these incidents are much more common than most people would imagine.”

www.safeboatingcouncil.org

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• Paddlers sometimes take avoidable risks: kayak safety • May 10, 2009
• kayaker in Puget Sound learns a dangerous lesson • April 14, 2009
• Water Safety Equipment, Just Might Save Your Life!!!! • March 7, 2009
• Stuff your PFD • January 26, 2009
• Day Paddle Gear Checklist • October 28, 2008
• Kayak lifejackets for women • August 14, 2008
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• American Canoe Association: Membership Drive