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Take the Pledge

May 16 - 22 is National Boat Safety Week

April 28, 2015
In preparation for the summer boating season, the National Safe Boating Council will kick off its national Wear It! campaign promoting safe boating and life jacket safety with National Safe Boating Week, held May 16-22.

As the water warms up and you head off on family vacation with your kids, the National Safe Boating Council wants you to remember to always wear a life vest when boating. Too often both experienced and inexperienced boaters have a false sense of security and don’t wear life jackets. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 22 children under the age of 13 lost their lives while boating in 2013. And, 36 percent of those children died from drowning.

As a good parent, we know you will ensure your children are wearing life jackets, but you may feel that you don’t really need one. Consider the rules we hear every time we fly: Put the oxygen mask on yourself first so you can help your child. The same is true for life jackets. You can’t save your child if you don’t save yourself first. Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. Drowning is the reported cause of death in three-fourths of all boating fatalities, and 84 percent of those who drown are not wearing life jackets.

In celebration of National Safe Boating Week, the NSBC wants you and your family to take the pledge that will help make your summer safe.

The Pledge

I pledge to boat safely each and every time I go out on the water, keeping myself, my family, my friends and fellow boaters from harm's way. I will always boat responsibly by:
  • Wearing my life jacket and ensuring that everyone on board wears their life jacket (when in a small boat, or operating in rough water or threatening weather conditions)
  • Remaining sober and alert - remembering that the use of alcohol contributes to accidents on the water
  • Staying in control of my craft and respecting the right of others enjoying the waterways    Knowing and obeying navigation rules, operating at a safe speed and maintaining a proper lookout