WASHINGTON 鈥� Getting out on the water is a fun way to spend a holiday weekend, and boaters who follow can help assure everyone gets safely back to shore.
鈥淚鈥檓 asking all boat operators to make safety their No. 1 priority while out on the water this summer,鈥� said Lt. Kevin Ayd of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police at a May news conference. 鈥淥ne death on Maryland waterways is one too many.鈥�
Here are a few recommendations from safety experts:
- File a float plan. Let someone know where you’re going and expect to return.
- Stock a noise maker. An air horn or whistle can help alert potential rescuers.
- Have a VHF radio. A call on VHF radio Channel 16 goes to anyone who is listening.
- Watch the weather.
- Make sure everyone has a life jacket and that they wear it all the time.
Accidents can happen faster than it takes . The U.S. Coast Guard estimates life jackets could have saved who die on the water.
Kayaker Sean Danielson of Shady Side, Maryland,聽can attest to the lifesaving power of wearing a life jacket. One helped keep him afloat after his watercraft overturned in the Chesapeake Bay on April 18 and he was stranded for hours in hypothermia-inducing, 47-degree water before eventually being rescued.
鈥淪ean is living proof that what we say can work,鈥� Col. Ken Ziegler Jr., of the Maryland Natural Resources Police, said in May. 鈥淲earing your personal flotation device is one of the most important things you can do.鈥�
A campaign from the聽U.S. Army Corps of Engineers puts it like this: “.”
