Used to be that just jumping in the boat and hitting the waves was the way that everyone approached their days on the water. It also used to be that by percentage the number of boating and water-related accidents was at a much higher rate. Thanks to exclusive agencies like The National Safe Boating Council, our days on the waves have definitely become much safer. However, boating and water accidents cannot be prevented by the agencies, they can only be prevented by the recreational public… an informed recreational public.
So what is the best way to stay informed? Easy! Let’s start with a great little article from The Lake Channel, “Boating Safety Classes – For Everyone!”. Written with an entire family approach to water safety. Here’s an excerpt:
Boating injuries and fatalities are often preventable. Don’t become a statistic this summer. According to the Coast Guard’s latest available statistics, 750 boaters died in 2002. Eighty-five percent of those who drowned were not wearing their life jackets, even though in many cases, life jackets were aboard. Seventy percent of recreational boating accidents are caused by factors that are controlled by the boat’s operator—such as failure to pay attention, carelessness, recklessness, inexperience, excessive speed, and failure to watch for hazards. Learn how to prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities while boating.
And we can ultimately gain our most specific and greatest amount of safety information straight from the source. The National Safe Boating Council has a very extensive website featuring its latest “Wear It!” campaign as well as categories covering their Safe Boating Campaign, the RBS Grant Program, Products, a Safe Boating Library, a list of Safe Boating Courses and testimonials entitled “Saved by the Jacket”.
To access the National Safe Boating Council website, click here.
So let’s all do our part to make this summer safe as well as fun by getting informed and taking the necessary steps to protect our greatest gifts, our friends and family. Safe boating and see you on the waves!
