Boating Safety Courses – Three Reasons for Taking Safe Boating Classes
The number of boat accidents and mishaps increase every summer. Boating safety courses are the best thing to update you and your family on the latest guidelines and precautions on the water. Boating safety courses will also help you get to know the latest policies and how to follow them correctly. All of the experience in the world isn’t going to help you if you’re making serious navigation errors.
Three Reasons Why You Need Boating Safety Courses
- They will make you a better boater
A good boat course will teach boating rules, boater safety, and waterway marking systems. You’ll also learn all about boats and their classifications, hull designs and motors. They’ll tell you how to deal with legal requirements including registration and equipment, and also how to get underway (preparation, packing, embarking, touring, landing, anchoring, knots, trailering, courtesy, and maintenance).
- They help prevent fatalities
Figures for boating accidents and fatalities rise in relation to the number of operators who have not taken any boating safety courses. For example, eighty-five percent of boating fatalities in Florida involve boaters who have not taken a safety course. Courses are offered online, in the classroom, or by private instruction. The US Coast Guard Auxiliary offers one of the most widely recognized courses in boat safety.
- Some states require them
Several states nowadays are approving laws that mandate boaters pass a safety course before operating a vessel. Forty-two states now offer online testing for graduates of the Coast Guard’s About Boating Safety course. This test is part of state requirements for boater safety education and licensure. Many insurance companies offer discounts on their premiums to boaters who have completed a safety course.
The online course and testing make the licensing process quite easy and inexpensive. It’s worth taking the course with its practice quizzes and other study aids that will help you become a better boater and avoid fatal accidents.