Boating Safety Rules: How to Stay Safe While Exploring the Waterways
You need to know boating safety rules, even if all you want to do is steal away for an afternoon, power boating down the river. Or maybe you’d rather an old-fashioned rowboat ride. Managing a boat can be exciting and demanding, whatever your taste in water transport. Whether you own a boat or you’re sailing a charter, your ultimate goal is passenger and boater safety.
Here are three things you must do to obey the boating safety rules:
- Ensure your boat is properly maintained.
This is one of the key boating safety rules, because not only will good boat maintenance lengthen the life of your boat and decrease the need for expensive boat repairs, but it also helps ensure the safety of all those on board. Wash your boat regularly to counteract the environmental effects of wear and tear. Follow a professional checklist to ensure that you cover all the other fine points of maintenance, including boat motor maintenance and winterization.
- Wear a personal flotation device, and ensure that all your passengers do the same
Ninety percent of those who have drowned in boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket. Use a correctly sized life jacket for the activity being undertaken. For example, if you’re hunting, use a Type V coat or coverall that provides comfort and flotation, and if you’re fishing, use a Type III vest that has pockets for gear and is comfortable to wear.
- Take a boating safety class.
This is where you will actually learn the boating safety rules. Amazingly, in seventy percent of all boating fatalities the operator had not taken a boat course. Knowing the rules of the road will make you a safer boater. You will know what to expect from other boaters, and they’ll be able to anticipate your moves as well.