Trauma Prevention – Children & Life Jackets

Children should always wear a life jacket while boating.

According to the Coast Guard’s Director of Operations Policy, Rear Admiral J.W. Underwood, “It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children safe when on the water and insisting on wearing life jackets is one of the best ways to do that. Just like you make your kids wear bike helmets, make them wear life jackets.”

Many adults believe themselves capable of diving into the water to rescue a child who falls overboard. This is a dangerous misconception. Adults may not notice a child falling overboard right away. Children who fall in may not surface immediately. It can be difficult to locate a child in the water—especially when the vessel is in motion.

Life jackets could prevent approximately two-thirds of all boating-related drowning of children ages 14 and under. Since 2005, Minnesota law requires a life jacket to be worn by children less than 10 years of age when aboard watercraft when the craft is under way (not tied up at a dock or permanent mooring). Exceptions to this law include:
1. When in an enclosed cabin or below the top deck on a watercraft.
2. When on an anchored boat that is a platform for swimming or diving.
3. When aboard a charter (passenger) craft with a licensed captain.

Drowning remains second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14. Children are much more likely to practice safe habits when they experience similar behavior by parents and caregivers. It is recommended that adults always wear life jackets as well – not only to keep themselves safe, but to demonstrate safe behavior for their children.

Boat owners and operators can help reduce fatalities, injuries, property damage, and healthcare costs related to recreational boating accidents by taking personal responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their passengers. Essential steps include always wearing a life jacket and requiring passengers to do the same; never boating under the influence; completing a boating safety course.

For more information on:
Boating Responsibly, go to www.USCGboating.org
How to Select the Right Life Vest for Your Child, go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/pfd_childlaw.html