Life Jackets Save Lives
Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program
When it comes to excuses why people don’t wear life jackets, Boating Safety Educator, Jack Dyess, says he’s heard ‘em all.
They are too uncomfortable, or they are too hot, or they aren’t stylish….
Leave your excuses on shore — life jackets save lives.
Over 95% of the drowning victims are not wearing life jackets. I’ve been in the boating safety business for a long time, I have yet to recover a drowning victim wearing a life jacket.
Life jackets are only required for children under 13 years of age, riding in motorboats under 26 feet in length. But Dyess suggests all family members wear them to encourage water safety practices that last a lifetime.
There are so many different types of life jackets on the market now, including little inflatable belts, the suspenders are inflatable and all of these are automatic so if you fall into the water, they automatically inflate. Most of them have twice the flotation as a normal life jacket and those who wear them forget that they are even wearing the thing.
Pack the life jackets on the boat, but leave the six-pack on shore.
One beer on a boat will affect a person the same as three beers on the ground.
That’s tomorrow…. Learn more about boater safety at passporttotexas.org.
That’s our show for today. With support from the Sport Fish Restoration program working to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
Passport to Texas is a 
Passport to Texas is made available by: