Coast Guard encourages participation in National Safe Boating Week on the Hudson River

NEW YORK -- The Coast Guard, along with the National Safe Boating Council, is reminding boaters to be safe on the Hudson River this summer, as part of National Safe Boating Week, May 22 - 28, 2010.

In an effort to promote safe boating practices, the Coast Guard, along with other federal, state and local partners, continues to increase safety boardings on the Hudson River to ensure boaters have the equipment to stay safe this summer.

The purpose of National Safe Boating Week is to raise awareness of boating safety and help reduce preventable accidents and deaths.

Many people agree riding a bike without a helmet or being in a car without a seatbelt can be unsafe; however, each year boaters take to the lakes, rivers and seas without wearing the most fundamental element of safe boating – life jackets.

These decisions lead to 459 possibly preventable drowning deaths in the U.S. during 2008, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics Report.

In the past two years, 16 people have drowned in recreational boating accidents in the Hudson River and New York Harbor, of that 14 were not wearing life jackets.

The Coast Guard encourages boaters to take a safer approach during the 2010 boating season by ensuring they have a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket and wear it while on the water. Other safety measures that can save your life are:

* Have your vessel inspected by the Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron.

* File a float plan with someone who knows when you are leaving and when you plan to be back.

* Make sure you have working sound producing devices in the event of an emergency in low visibility.

* Ensure flares are not out of date or damaged.

For a comprehensive list of boating safety checklists and instructional information, please visit: http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/default.aspx

For more information on life jacket safety as a part of National Safe Boating Week, take a look at the National Safe Boating Council’s website: http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/

For a vessel safety check, visit the Coast Guard Auxiliary website at: http://www.cgaux.org/

###

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.