Archive for May 20th, 2009

Personal Floatation Devices

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sportfish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Next time you are on the water, and decide to forgo wearing a life jacket, consider this:

About eighty-five percent of the drowning fatalities, a person is not wearing a life jacket—and that’s huge.

Brandi Bradford, state boater education coordinator, says all personal watercraft passengers, including those being towed, must wear life jackets…including the kiddos.

The law says that anyone under the age of thirteen must be wearing a life jacket while the boat is underway. We recommend that everyone does.

Boaters have reasons why they don’t like wearing life jackets, but those excuses don’t hold water.

People usually don’t like to wear them because they’re heavy, they’re bulky, they make you hot. You know, it’s a hundred degrees outside in Texas. There are actually new forms of life jackets. We have belt pack inflatables, over the shoulder (they look like little harnesses) inflatables. They’re real lightweight; they won’t mess up your tan, and they don’t get in your way when you’re driving around.

Life jackets are widely available at department and sporting goods stores. Find additional information about life jackets at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…we receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase hunting, shooting, fishing and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.