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* Take a boating-safety class to learn basic seamanship skills. Nearly 70 percent of boating fatalities involve an operator who didn't complete such a course.
* To take a class, contact a local safe-boating organization, or the U.S. Coast Guard Information Line, (800) 368-5647, or visit the Coast Guard website.
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* Heed regulations concerning fire extinguishers, and keep them in good condition and readily available.
* Give someone your itinerary.
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* Check for power lines in your path before launching.
* About 25 percent of boating deaths involve alcohol. The marine environment accelerates impairment. Tests have shown only one-third the amount of alcohol that makes a person legally impaired on the road is enough to make a person equally impaired on the water. If someone does drink, use a designated driver.
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* Almost 85 percent of people who drown in boating-related incidents were not wearing a life jacket. All occupants should have a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Make sure life jackets are selected and fitted for each passenger.
* If you stand up for any reason in a small boat, wear a life jacket.
* Don't sit on your life jacket when it is not in use. The weight could damage the protective shell.
* Test your life jacket annually.
* Children and nonswimmers should wear a life jacket on any small boat or near water.
* Be especially careful the first few trips of the season. Your skills might be rusty.
* Many accidents are the result of a collision with another boat or an object in the water, such as rocks, pilings New York Jets Jerseys For Sale , or debris. Stay alert. Use many of the same defensive measures you employ to drive a car.
* The overwhelming majority of capsizings occur on small boats because of sudden weight shifts. Move carefully and cautiously. Everyone should remain in their seats while the boat is in motion.
* Travel at safe speeds. Avoid sudden and sharp high-speed turns.
* Give swimmers, skiers, and divers plenty of distance. Be especially alert near boat docks.
* Before heading out, check the latest local weather forecast.
* Head for shore when the weather turns bad. Everybody should immediately don a life jacket. Sudden wind shifts and choppy water can mean a storm is brewing.
* Carry a portable radio for weather reports. A cellular phone, and a marine radio when venturing far from shore Jets Jerseys For Sale , are good additions.
* If your boat capsizes, don't panic. Stay with the boat.
* Wear your life jacket. It floats - you don't.
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