Did
you know that you can call the Canadian Coast Guard from your cell phone
by dialing *16?
Accident
Statistics (Taken
from Pat's boating pages)
-
85 percent of those who drowned from a boat were not wearing lifejackets
or PFDs.
-
27 percent of boat drownings were caused at least
in part by alcohol.
-
Most accidents with boats involve people 25 to 40
years old.
-
More than 50,000 personal watercraft have been sold
in Canada, an astonishing 25 percent of annual boat sales. It is feared
that unless something in done, the percentage of accidents involving these
craft may match their sales.
-
Most boating accidents occur in craft less than 18
feet long. Luxury cruisers longer than 50 feet rarely run into anything.
-
Canoes account for an astonishing 30 percent of boating
fatalities in Canada.
-
No recorded drownings have taken place involving
paddleboats (unless a power boat ran into one).
-
PWC's have proportionally more accidents than
other types of boats and the majority of deaths are caused by collisions.
Deaths from other types of boats are mainly people drowning without a
life jacket.
-
A 1995 survey concluded that 90% of boating drownings
in Canada occur in inclement weather. Check weather on the Internet, by
radio, TV, telephone, newspapers, VHF broadcasts!
-
Drowning is the number one accident killer of children.
If
you don't want to wear a lifejacket raise your hand
Personal Floatation Devices
How
to select a lifejacket for your child
by Paige Ackerman