Both Florida and Federal laws require the operator of a boat to have one Coast Guard approved life jacket for every person on the boat. In years past, life jackets were bulky and uncomfortable, causing some people to refuse to wear them. However, recently redesigned life jackets which wrap around a boater’s waist like a belt pack, or strap around the shoulders like suspenders, have improved the overall comfort level of wearing a life jacket.
Joseph M. Maus, an AV-rated South Florida attorney specializing in Florida boating accidents, says it’s a no-brainer to wear a life jacket when boating in South Florida. “The waterways of South Florida are no different than its highways - you can be the safest driver around, but you can’t control what some other boat driver is going to do”, Maus says. He believes “wearing a life jacket on a boat is the equivalent of wearing a seat belt in a car - everybody should do it.”
The statistics for Florida boating accidents are similar to those on a national level. According to the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association, 70 percent of all boating deaths nationally are the result of drowning. Most of these deaths were considered preventable if the victims had been wearing a life jacket.
Maus also says that a boat operator's failure to provide life jackets, or personal flotation devices (PFD’s) as required by the Coast Guard, can subject a boat owner and operator to liability if one of the passengers goes overboard. Maus says the Coast Guard requires:
So, the next time you head out on your boat to enjoy the day, make sure everyone on board buckles up - in their life jacket. Don't let them become another Florida boating accidents statistic!
For more information about boating accidents in Florida, contact Florida boating accident lawyer Joseph M. Maus at 1-866-556-5529 for a free, no-obligation consultation, or email him today.
Tags: accident, accidents, boat, boating, fatalities, fl, florida, marine, statistics
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