Equipment

Requiring recreational boaters to wear life jackets would increase their odds of surviving an accident by 80 percent, according to a recent research study conducted at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard. In addition, life jacket effectiveness is at its peak when the watercraft is short: The odds […]

Mike Haynes sits on his boat on Lake Barkley near a boat ramp at Bumpus Mills Marina where he once had an experience where he fell off the boat without a life jacket and needed assistance getting out of the water. Courtesy Asset photo “Did you know most car accidents occur within five miles of […]

For years, recreational boaters across the country have been “firing off” concerns about the carriage requirements for visual distress signals on their boats. Federal and state agencies saw the flares, and now they’re responding. Visual distress signals alert search and rescue teams in an emergency. Recognizing their importance in protecting lives, the Coast Guard required […]

Since its first meeting in 1960, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators has developed a wide range of recreational boating safety public policy. Resolutions, model acts, model procedures and other documents have helped make boating safer for all on our nation’s waters.  Unfortunately, very few states have enacted NASBLA’s Model Act on the […]

Every spring, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water receives questions from boaters about fire extinguishers. To help set the record straight here are four fire extinguisher myths debunked: Myth #1: Tapping or striking the extinguisher keeps the contents “fresh.” Reality: Leave the mallet at home. Unlike days of old, today’s modern fire […]