LIFE JACKETS RECOMMENDED FOR WATER ACTIVITIES

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

The Fourth of July holiday is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year for activities on the water, and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary says the use of life jackets can save a number of lives.

“Ninety percent of the victims of boating fatalities who drown were not wearing a life jacket,” Stuart Soffer of White Hall said this week. “In 2007, the last year figures are available, there were over 425 victims, and 90 percent of them were not wearing a life jacket.”

In Arkansas in 2007, there were 13 boating fatality victims who drowned, and 11 of them were not wearing life jackets, he said. Of the drownings reported this year, Soffer said only one was wearing a life jacket, and that one was in a kayak with the jacket unbuckled and the force of the water ripped the life jacket off.

“I’m not talking about your grandfather’s old, over the head, horse collar life jacket,” Soffer said. “They’re hot, they’re uncomfortable, and that’s the reason people say they don’t wear them.”

Newer styles of life jackets are available, including some made of mesh, that Soffer said are not only affordable, but provide safety for wearers.

“A lot of younger boaters are proud of their bodies and don’t want to hide them so there’s even a belt pack life jacket they can wear and still show off those abs, or the result of that diet,” he said. “They can look great, and be safe at the same time.”

A majority of drownings occur in nice weather, on dry days, and in inland waterways like lakes and rivers, and many of the victims are adult males who were not wearing life jackets.

In addition to wearing a life jacket, Soffer recommended having a boat inspected, and insuring that things like a fire extinguisher and throwable seat cushions that will float are aboard.

“In the drowning we had at Lake Saracen recently, if the other person in the boat had been able to throw a seat cushion to the man in the water, the outcome might have been different,” he said.

Bobby Harris Sr., 39, of Pine Bluff, drowned in Lake Saracen June 17.

Other safety tips including taking a safe boating course, which is required by law for anyone born after Jan. 1, 1986, being aware of surroundings, and avoiding the use of alcohol while on the water.

“Alcohol will have more of an effect on people because of the sun and the motion of the water, so people who are operating a boat should stay away from it completely,” he said.

Regarding the safe boating course, which is required for young people, Soffer said mature adult males will also benefit.

“If you operate a small open outboard motor boat, you are in the high at risk for a fatality group of boaters,” he said.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission offers a free course, that includes an on-line and home story video presentation, Soffer said.

Information on that course can be obtained on the game and fish Webster at www.agfc.com.