More than 70 million people will be enjoying their boats this summer. To make it a safe and fun time, parents should really make sure their children wear a life jacket—the most important safety measure they can take. Nine out of ten people who drown each year were not wearing life jackets, according to the North American Safe Boating Campaign, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In addition to drowning, boating accidents can result in trauma, hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other life-threatening conditions.
In addition to requiring all people on the boat to wear a life jacket, and not having alcohol on board, parents can also take part in a boating education course. Many boating accidents happen because the boat driver does not understand how to operate the boat or operates the boat recklessly or too fast.
An educational boating course can provide operating instructions and boating safety techniques similar to a car education class. The U.S. Coast Guard provides a free service called the Vessel Safety Check where volunteers check the boat’s equipment and provide training about boat safety procedures.
