That Remides Me, I Need A New Life Jacket!
It’s Friday and you may be in the mood to go boating this weekend. Our trusty, sometimes un trusty boats always make be hyper sensitive to safety. This very cool video is a teaser to the ultimate interactive site on making you understand why wearing a life jacket makes sense.
Matt, you are really getting creative with that go cam thing!
Teasers might be cool, but nothing gets the point across like statistics.
From the Michigan DNR website: “Boating accident statistics compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard indicate that 90 percent of the people who drown in a boating or water accident would be alive today if they had been wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.”
From Powerboat.about.com:
“No matter how you slice it, almost any boating accident imaginable has a predictable outcome – you in the water fighting for your life. Unless you are wearing a life jacket, your survival chances are marginal.
Capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents, comprising 59 percent of all boating fatalities.
Nine of ten drowning victims may have survived a capsizing or fall overboard if they had been wearing a life jacket. By wearing a life jacket while boating, you increase the chances of surviving exponentially. Think of it another way: without a lifejacket, how long can you tread water while waiting for rescue? What if you were injured?
You cannot prevent an accident by your boating skill or experience alone. Boaters with more than 100 hours boating experience, who are 36 years or older and don’t have formal boating safety education are responsible for most of the boating accidents and fatalities. Even if you have confidence in your boating skills, consider the many boaters who are less experienced and educated who share the waterways with you.”
Would this count as a PFD?
This one is for Alex!
Not a floatation device, but a good idea for boaters in our area. Rather than drowning, our local Darwin candidates seem to favor accidents involving alcohol, cocain, high speeds and things that are decidedly more solid than water, like piers, docks, or houses. In those cases, a full face helmet wouldn’t hurt your odds.
Sometimes you need to wear your lifejacket/PFD in your car:
http://www.flixxy.com/worlds-fastest-water-car.htm
What’s the towing capacity on that thing? I think you might have found the new Woodyboater tow vehicle. No more embarrassing moments at the ramp watching your truck sink. Back in all the way and then drive out.
It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand!
Life jackets are like fire extinguishers. When you need one you REALLY need one.
Having fallen in the boat well getting into the boat, I can testify that things do happen fast! Time to replace the PFD cartridges and recharge the fire extinguisher. Happy boating!
I garranty if your in the water after and accedent you will not regret the $ 120 dollars you spent on a self inflating life vest. After 60 I do not feel as invincable as I did at 30 so my wife and I started wearing them all of the time and so do our guests. (or they do not go with us)
I’m going to show that video trailer to the next person who complains Panther is too slow. Yea if we’re going too slow then keep up!
Boaters aren’t the only ones who should wear them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDcBPJMc1UM
That was probably yesterday in Port Sandfield, Ontario Canada
Very powerful and thoughtful video. I drowned in 4:37min my finger still hurts.
Seriously, I thought that was one of the best ways to show how fast you tire out and and how scary it can be. I sent the link to about 30 of my boating friends to encourage them to forward on to their boating friends.
I was thinkin of buying one of those new inflatable thin vests this summer, because I boat a lot alone, and my balance has gotten real bad over the last couple of years. NOW I am off to West Marine to get me one!
And to think back in 1997 I cruise all the way from Grand Haven, Mi to Key West via the East Coast, 90% of the way, single handed, and NEVER wore a life jacket, OR even had one on Deck! Boy, was I LUCKY…