Mark Roman | May 24, 2016 | Personal Injury

This is National Safe Boating Week. It’s no coincidence that boating safety advocates in the U.S. and Canada chose this week for an awareness campaign. While Florida boaters enjoy the water year-round, places further north are just beginning their season for boating. Peak times for boating in most of North America will be from now to Labor Day. After that, the summer season ends and colder, harsher weather makes boating less attractive.

This year’s theme for National Safe Boating Week is to wear life jackets. Although many people ditch life jackets on calm days, the reality is that they can save lives under any conditions. Life jackets are designed to hold one’s head out of the water to prevent even an unconscious person from drowning. They also prevent drowning from exhaustion, because they provide flotation rather than forcing a man overboard to work at staying afloat until they’re rescued.

Life jackets even make it easier to grab a person and haul them into a boat. The shoulder straps allow a grab-and-pull maneuver which is impossible with normal clothing. This is critical, because boaters may only get one chance to pull someone back aboard in rough conditions.

Another less common but critical piece of safety equipment is an EPIRB, or emergency position indicating radio beacon. An EPIRB broadcasts a signal to rescue teams which will lead them to the location of a vessel in distress. The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico are huge bodies of water, and having an EPIRB signal to follow can mean the difference between being found quickly and never being found at all.

EPIRBs are relatively inexpensive compared to the vessels which carry them. An EPIRB typically costs from $300 to $1,000. They are available from marine suppliers, but also from online suppliers like Amazon. Any boater who ventures into open water should invest in this potentially life-saving piece of equipment.

Many Floridians remember the heartbreaking story of Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, the South Florida teenagers who left Jupiter Inlet on July 24, 2015. Even though there was a massive search for them after they disappeared, they were never found. Their boat was finally recovered in March 2016 off the coast of Bermuda by a cargo ship. A cell phone was found aboard the vessel; an EPIRB was not.

Another layer of protection is offered by PLBs, or personal locater beacons. PLBs work like EPIRBs, but are actually worn by boaters like walkie talkies. PLBs only work for about 24 hours because of their small size, but obviously, the first 24 hours after any marine mishap are the most critical. Because they’re worn personally, PLBs are effective even when boaters float away from their vessel after a mishap. PLBs are cheaper than EPIRBs, and are usually $400 or less.

The relatively mild weather Americans and Canadians enjoy during the summer can be deceptive. Weather and seas can still change quickly, and the oceans and large waterways remain dangerous. Life jackets, EPIRBs, PLBs, and other safety equipment are well worth the expense, for both the boaters and the people waiting for them to return to shore.

Contact the New Port Richey Personal Injury Law Firm of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today

For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer in New Port Richey. We have four convenient locations in Florida: Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.

We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442