Hi there! Welcome to the Wear It Florida site. This site is likely to be the most exiting and innovative effort aimed at saving lives on Florida’s waterways. Did you know that Florida has the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in the annual number of boating deaths? It’s true. You probably also didn’t know that most of the people who die on Florida’s water lost their lives as a result of drowning.
Several trends come to the surface when you look at boating accident statistics. It is easy to identify the most likely victims: they are men over 30 years of age who have plenty of boating experience, who know how to swim, and who are in boats less than 20 feet long in fairly calm weather conditions. They usually go overboard unexpectedly for any variety of reasons, and in most cases they swim for a while until they become exhausted. Unfortunately, these incidents are much more common than most people would imagine.
That’s where “Wear It Florida” comes in. There is a simple way to eliminate nearly all of these drownings, and this campaign is all about helping you learn how to make sure you don’t ever become one of these statistics.
Don’t believe it could happen to you? Well, it does happen in Florida to an average of one person each week who never thought it could happen to them either.
So here’s how the campaign works. It is part of a unified effort between four states (California, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas), the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Safe Boating Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Boating Safety. We will also have several other partners from the private sector who are committed to making a difference in boating safety. The campaign goal is clear and simple: to increase the number of recreational boater who consistently wear a life jacket while on the water.
In the near future, boaters will start seeing our Wear It Florida teams. These teams will be in many places—including on the water in specially-marked boats—spreading the word about life jackets. You might find them at a boat show, on the water in our areas of concern, or at fishing or outdoor shows. You might even meet them while at a gas station or at a boat ramp. Whenever you see them, they are always willing to offer some kind of gift in exchange for the opportunity to talk about life jackets and show off the inflatable models. Their goal is to contact as many recreational boaters as possible and give them information about the importance of life jackets—especially the newer inflatable life jackets.
The WearItFlorida.com website has lots of information. You will find testimonials and pictures submitted by people like you who have experienced the personal benefits of inflatable life jackets. There is a quick boating safety quiz that will test your knowledge and likely surprise you. There is also a “Virtual Memorial” which gives you the details surrounding the fatal boating accidents. In addition, the Calendar of Events will give you information on where you can find our Wear It Florida Team throughout the state. (The Calendar of Events is under construction.)
We hope you will review the information, spread the word to your boating friends about the importance of life jackets, and get involved in this effort to help stop these tragic losses experienced by so many families in our state each year.
Most of all, we hope you will get a cool and comfortable life jacket and “Wear It” while boating in Florida and beyond. After all, recreational boating is one of life’s greatest adventures. The Wear It Florida partners all want to ensure that boating continues to be a source of great memories for you, your family, and friends.
Wear It Florida!
Boating Perceptions Vs. Reality
Perception: The problem on the water is all the drunk boaters
Reality: While there is no question impaired boaters present a serious problem on the water, the majority of the fatal boating accidents (and all accidents in general) involve sober people who are either inattentive and run into something or accidentally fall overboard and drown.
Perception: If it wasn’t for the personal watercraft, the water would be a much safer place to be.
Reality: Personal watercraft (PWC) are generally involved in approximately one-fourth of the reported boating accidents. While a discourteous PWC operator can really be annoying to others, most accidents involve what might be considered to be “traditional” boats.
Perception: It’s all the young, inexperienced boat operators who are causing the problems.
Reality: Nearly all of the operators involved in boating accidents are 22 years of age or older, and the vast majority are 36 years of age and older. What may be even more surprising is that about two-thirds of the operators involved in accidents reported having more than 100 hours of experience operating a boat. Statistics say that the real problem is older males with plenty of boating experience.
Perception: The big, open waters like the Gulf or Atlantic are where boaters are at greatest risk.
Reality: Only a very small percentage of reportable boating accidents occur in Florida’s offshore waters. Accident statistics tell us that most accidents occur on calm, inland or very near-shore waters.
Perception: Big boats going too fast—that’s the problem.
Reality: Approximately three-quarters of the boats involved in accidents are under 27 feet long. In most circumstances, excessive speed didn’t even play a part in the accidents. An instant of inattention, even at slower speeds, often results in tragic consequences on the water.
Perception: If everyone had the proper safety equipment on their boat, then people wouldn’t be drowning as a result of boating accidents.
Reality: While having proper safety equipment on board is both required by law and just plain smart, it is very rare that someone drowns in a boating accident because they didn’t have enough life jackets on board. The problem was that they were on board and not being worn at the time the victim unexpectedly ended up in the water. You can’t pause life at the instant before a car crash to buckle up, so why should we think we can wait until tragedy strikes to put on a life jacket. It just makes good sense to wear a comfortable inflatable life jacket at all times while boating.
Perception: Boating accidents are pretty rare, so they really aren’t too big of a deal.
Reality: Even though being involved in a fatal boating accident is quite unlikely, try telling the survivors left behind by the 65 to 80 fatal boating accident victims in Florida annually that even such a small risk isn’t worth paying attention to. Chances are you won’t receive a warning message before it happens to you, so your best bet is to always be prepared by paying close attention and, most of importantly, wearing a life jacket.