Boating Safety for Father's Day

Dear Friend,

With Father’s Day just around the corner, many boating dads are planning to hit the water for a family-friendly celebration. Father’s Day provides a great opportunity to share the fun of boating with your son or daughter, and also to make sure they know the importance of staying safe by wearing a life jacket every time they get on a boat. Before you begin your annual Father’s Day celebration on the water, the National Safe Boating Council encourages all families to read the five Father’s Day Boating Tips to keep everyone safe this Father’s Day weekend.

1. Take a family-friendly safe boating course.Seventy percent of recreational boating accidents are caused by operator factors—such as failure to pay attention, carelessness, recklessness, inexperience, excessive speed, and failure to watch for hazards. Boating safety courses are available, inexpensive, and quick—a great way for you to pass along the rules of the water to your children.
   
2. Get the family fitted with personalized life jackets. A life jacket can make a great Father’s Day gift. Make sure the family knows the importance of a life jacket that fits properly. Before you go out on the water show your son or daughter how a life jacket is supposed to fit and how they can help save a life.

3. Get a vessel safety check. As much as kids love being on boats, they also love learning about boats and how they work! A trained and qualified auxiliary member of the Coast Guard can conduct a safety check on your vessel to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local safety requirements while your kids learn about the different functions and how they keep boaters safe.
4. Develop a family float plan. Before you go out on the water, give a responsible person or family member details about where you will be and how long you will be gone. This is important in case your boat is delayed because of an emergency, becomes lost, or encounters other problems. Make sure they have a complete description of the vessel and other information that will make identification easier.
   
5. Always boat responsibly and Wear It! Wearing a life jacket can make the difference between a fun-family outing and a potentially dangerous or deadly situation. Make sure you and your entire family remember to “Wear It!” this Father’s Day.

For more safe boating tips, please visit: www.SafeBoatingCampaign.com

Sincerely,









Virgil Chambers
Executive Director
National Safe Boating Council

For more information, visit www.SafeBoatingCampaign.com.