|
Play it safe and wear your life jacket LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 2—The numbers don’t lie. Each year about 700 people die in boating-related accidents. Nine out of every 10 of those victims were not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. When boaters leave for a day on the water, they seldom expect to find themselves in the water or in an accident, but it happens all too often. The only way your life jacket is going to help is if you have it on when you hit the water. Life jackets stored below deck or jammed into a storage compartment are of no use to someone who has fallen or been thrown into the water. Seventy percent of all boating deaths occur when someone unexpectedly falls in the water. Once in the water, even an experienced swimmer can lose coordination and drown. The problem is more complicated if the person has been drinking alcoholic beverages. The motion, vibration of the boat, engine noise, sun, wind and waves all speed up the affects of alcohol. Experts say it only takes one-third the amount of alcohol to impair a boater that it takes to impair a driver on the highway. Boating in the state’s rivers and lakes is a favorite summer pastime, but don’t turn summer fun into a game of chance. It’s easier to avoid trouble than to get out of it. Don’t play the odds with your life or the life of your loved ones. Play it safe and wear your life jacket.
|
