Sometimes coincidences give you the chills. Two days after I posted an article on our RuggedReviews.com blog urging all boaters to wear personal flotation devices at all times, a boat slammed into a navigational marker early in the morning a block from my house on the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach, Florida. A passenger who was not wearing a PFD was thrown into the dark water and died. The cause of death hasn't been determined yet, but if statistics are a guide, there's a good chance the passenger would have survived if he had worn a PFD.The RuggedReviews.com blog entry I wrote quotes the U.S. Coast Guard as saying nine out of ten of the hundreds of boaters who drowned in 2006 were not wearing personal flotation devices. Other statistics show that many of them were within yards of shore at the time.
The owner of the boat that crashed near my home told the Palm Beach Post that he's "crushed" by what happened. He said, "I never meant for this to happen. I'm not a bad person. Now I have to pay the price." (Read the full article HERE.) I would imagine everyone involved in similar nightmare scenarios would say the same thing.
The only way to prevent these needless deaths is to:
1. Purchase a PFD that's suitable for your age, size, weight and sport. PFD's are sold with clear labels telling what they will and won't do. For example, Type I PFDs -- old blocky style life vests -- are designed for long-term ocean use and will keep your face out of the water if you're unconscious. Type II PFDs -- usually modern vest-types -- are made for near shore use and will likely not keep your face out of the water if you fall unconscious. Type II PFDs assume you will receive aid in a short amount of time.
2. Make sure there is a PFD available for everyone on your craft. If you're short one, one life may be lost.
3. Wear the PFD at all times. You can't anticipate all emergencies -- such as a collision, explosion, fire or heart attack. There's a good chance you won't be able to reach for your PFD in time, let alone put it on.
Don't become a sad statistic out on the water. WEAR YOUR PFD! Visit the U.S. Coast Guard site for more life-saving safety tips.
