Press Release

The week kicks off the 2002 North American Safe Boating Campaign. "Boat Smart from the Start. Wear Your Life Jacket" is the 2002 campaign theme.

According to the latest Coast Guard statistics, 90 percent of those who drowned in serious boating accidents in 2000 were not wearing life jackets, even though in many cases there were life jackets on board. As a result, nearly 520 boaters and passengers -- including 28 children -- lost their lives unnecessarily.

"In an emergency, boaters and their passengers often don't have time to find and put on stowed life jackets. It all just happens too quickly," said Rear Admiral Kenneth T. Venuto, Director of Operations Policy for the U.S. Coast Guard. "The safest way to go is to wear a life jacket while you are on a boat. If more recreational boaters did so, and insisted that their passengers follow suit, it would prevent tragic and needless deaths."

"Simply put, life jackets float, boaters don't."

The NSBC says although boating fatalities and injuries have declined over more than two decades, the numbers remain high: 701 dead and 4,355 injured in 2000.

The latest statistics emphasize the speed and suddenness of accidents. Two-thirds of all reported recreational boating fatalities in 2000 involved capsizings and falls overboard. More than 25 percent of all fatalities involved collision with another vessel or fixed object, or the flooding or swamping of a boat. The majority of reported accidents resulted from human error or poor judgment, such as operator inattention, careless/reckless operation, operating at an unsafe speed, or having no proper lookout. Alcohol also played a significant role, accounting for 31 percent of all boating deaths -- up 5 percent from 1999.

In addition to life jacket use, this year's campaign is warning against a new fad known as "teak surfing." Boaters hang on to the swim platform on the back of motorboats to surf in the boat's wake. This dangerous activity exposes boaters to hazardous levels of carbon monoxide from the vessel's exhaust and accidents with the boat's propeller. To date at least six people have been killed while "teak surfing."

Boaters should also be aware of new regulations established by the U.S. Coast Guard since September 11, relating to security zones near U.S. naval vessels. Boaters must operate at a minimum safe speed within 500 yards of a naval vessel, and they may not approach within 100 yards, without proper authorization. Visit http://www.uscgboating.org/ for more information on the 100-yard-approach rule.

For more complete 2000 boating statistics, information about NSBC's campaign, including regional safety awareness events, visit the National Safe Boating Campaign website at http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/pressroom.htm . The National Safe Boating Council comprises more than 300 U.S. and Canadian organizations united by a mission to reduce accidents and enhance the boating experience.