This weekend marks one of the busiest times for boaters: The Fourth of July holiday. Across the country, boaters look forward to spending the weekend with friends and family, lounging on their boats, participating in various watersports activities and maybe even catching some fireworks from a water-side seat.
But more people out enjoying the water brings the potential for unfortunate accidents to occur, and that's why it's always important to keep safety measures top of mind while boating – particularly on a busy holiday like the Fourth. Safe boating is the most enjoyable boating!
NMMA and its affiliate organizations are always working hard to ensure boating is as safe as it is pleasurable. To this end, we received some very good news back in May from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard sponsors an annual boating safety grant program. We prepared a grant application on behalf of the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association, or PFDMA (that's the life jacket manufacturers association) to do some work that would advance boating safety and promote increased life jacket use.
The grant we prepared proposed that PFDMA would develop and conduct a test program to determine if children under 16 years of age are capable of safely using automatic inflatable PFDs. The plan calls for study of two distinct age groups: Children 6-12 years old; and Youths 12-16 years old. The grant also proposed development of a similar program that would determine whether Adults over the age of 16 that consider themselves "non-swimmers" are capable of safely using automatic inflatable PFDs.
The Coast Guard wants to improve life jacket wear, and inflatable life jackets are seen as a good step towards achieving this goal. However, inflatables can carry restrictions in terms of age and user capability. The PFDMA grant submission offers a tangible way of researching whether the barriers can be extended, safely, in the hope of increasing the potential of more people wearing life jackets.
The response to our grant proposal from the Coast Guard was very positive, and all indications are it will be fully funded.
"Safety first" really is the hallmark of a great boating experience. So don't delay. Get out on the water and enjoy the long weekend. And have a happy (and safe) Fourth of July!
– Thom Dammrich