A Life Jacket Can Prove to be a Lifesaver When Boating
With warmer weather upon us, many will be heading to lakes, rivers, and oceans for recreational boating activities. In 2020, the National Marine Manufacturers Association reported that 100 million Americans participated in boating with nearly 12 million boats were registered. Unfortunately, boating activities result in thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths each year. Sobering statistics from the 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics by the United States Coast Guard revealed that 75% of all fatal boating incident victims drowned and of those 86% were not wearing a life jacket. As we celebrate National Safe Boating Week, May 21-27, 2022, it is the perfect reminder to boat responsibly, ensure all individuals onboard are equipped with a properly fitted life jacket, and to keep safety a priority.
When selecting a life jacket, also recognized as a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), it is important to know that there is no “one size fits all.” Life jackets should not be purchased for a child to grow in to, as they should fit snug when fastened. In addition to the fit, the type of boating activity and water conditions should play a role in the selection. Always check the label inside the life jacket to ensure that it is United States Coast Guard-approved.
The proper care and use of a life jacket go hand in hand. Be sure to dry life jackets after each use and store them in a dry place when not boating. You need to discard a life jacket if there are any rips, tears, or missing fasteners and straps. To keep them clean and avoid mildew, hand wash life jackets in soapy, warm water.
To reinforce the important message that life jackets really do save lives, Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® participants learn through various hands-on water safety activities and demonstrations. One demonstration includes using oranges, both peeled to represent someone without a life jacket, and unpeeled to represent someone with a life jacket on, participants can see how a life jacket can assist in floating. During another activity, participants take part in a timed relay to locate a life jacket under their seat and successfully put it on while racing against the clock. Ultimately, with not knowing the type, size, and conditions of life jacket under their chair, many participants may fail to do this correctly and on time, leaving a teachable moment of sharing why a life jacket with wear and tear should be replaced, the size and fit matters, and how putting it first – and prior – to a boat departing is always the safest option.
In addition to life jackets, be sure to have onboard other required safety equipment, such as lights, fire extinguishers, visual distress signals, and sound-producing devices. Also, be sure to verify with your state or province the minimum age requirement and certificates necessary to operate different types of personal watercrafts (PWC).
The “Safety Day Corner” is a safety message by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation® (PAF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with the mission toprovide education, training, and resources to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for all children and their communities. Recognized as the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America, the Foundation’s Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program, has reached more than 1.8 million youth since the program’s inception in 1995. For more information about PAF and its programs, visit: www.progressiveag.org.