Cold water increases boating risks

Harrisburg - State officials are warning boaters to wear their life jackets on cold Pennsylvania waters. Despite a drastic decline in boating fatalities from 2006, the The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) stresses the dangers of not wearing a life jacket. This is especially so in cold water where sudden immersion (cold water shock) can kill a boater within seconds of submersion. The PFBC encourages boaters to be safe on the water by wearing their life jackets and taking a safe boating course. “Too many people are still dying because they don’t recognize the danger of cold water,” PFBC Boating and Access Director Dan Martin said. In every fatal accident in 2007, except one, cold water shock was a probable factor. The vast majority of the fatalities happened when a small boat capsized or the victim fell overboard. “The sad thing is that all the fatalities were preventable,” Martin said. The number one way to be safe on the water is to wear a life jacket. Eighty percent of all recreational boating fatalities could be prevented if the victim had been wearing a Coast Guard approved life jacket at the time of the accident. Only two of the boating accident victims in 2007 were wearing a life jacket at the time of the mishap that resulted in their death. None of the victims were known to have taken a boating safety course. Learn how to become a more responsible boater by visiting the Water & Ice Safety page of the PFBC website and always remember, “be safe. wear your life jacket.”