National Safe Boating Week, May 16-22

For those headed out on the water, what looks like a perfect day for boating can quickly become hazardous. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in three-fourths of recreational boating fatalities in 2013, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. Tennessee ranks No. 7 in the nation for boating accidents and No. 6 in the nation for boating fatalities, with 119 boating mishaps causing 20 deaths in the state in 2013.
The National Safe Boating Council will kick off its Wear It! campaign promoting safe boating and life jackets with National Safe Boating Week, May 16-22.