The Importance of Expecting The Unexpected
In the September issue of VE 2001 NEWS, editor Erik H. Amato DSO-VE offers some valuable advice courtesy of the Operation BoatSmart Project Officer, DRT Kim Pickens. A reprint of that timeless information is offered here now with permission from the editor:
"Most deaths happen due to unexpected entry into the water. This means that boaters don't have time to put on a PFD before they go into the water; the time you need it on is when you first enter! We need to listen to what this message is saying for us because we are the ones who are supposed to be the role models for the boaters out there, and this may not be a message with which we all feel comfortable.
However, this is the right time to start emphasizing this message because only now are there PFDs on the market that are so lightweight, reliable, and comfortable you can forget you're even wearing them — and this is the one thing that was missing before. Now there is simply no excuse for not wearing a PFD, so that is the message we need to start pressing. We encourage everyone involved in Operation BoatSmart to become familiar with "today's" life jackets — what's available, who is making them, who sells them, where you can direct boaters to see and try out these new products for themselves. And the best way to show boaters what's available is by wearing the latest in PFDs at every opportunity. Now that's boating smart!"
