For the 2000 Safe Boating Campaign, the successful '98, and '99 theme will be repeated: "Boat Smart From The Start. Wear Your Life Jacket." Our focus: the wearing of life jackets. We have provided several articles of interest concerning PFDs. Help us get the word out.

SAFE BOATING CAMPAIGN TARGETS
ELIMINATING BOATING FATALITIES

The North American Safe Boating Campaign wants to get something off of its chest and onto yours…a life jacket. Each year approximately 800 people die in boating-related accidents – eight out of ten victims were not wearing a life jacket. "Thousands of people would be alive today had they taken the simple step of wearing a life jacket when they went out on the water," says Virgil Chambers, Executive Director of the National Safe Boating Council. In an effort to combat these alarming statistics, the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), will launch the "2000 Boat Smart from the Start" North American Safe Boating Campaign during National Safe Boating Week (May 20-26, 2000). The campaign is designed to reach more than 80 million boaters around North America and communicate this year’s message: "Boat Smart from the Start. Wear Your Life Jacket"!

"We will again stress the importance of wearing life jackets. The Coast Guard has a goal to eliminate deaths, injuries and property damage associated with recreational boating," said Terry Cross, Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard. "The Coast Guard and its partners are committed to a Safe Boating Campaign that reaches from shore to shore across the North American Continent.

Our neighbors to the north, the Canadian Safe Boating Council and the Canadian Coast Guard will also observe Safe Boating Week on May 20- 26. Boating smart is an essential part of any day on the water regardless of where you boat."

The 2000 North American Campaign "Boat Smart from the Start" is a partnership comprised of the U.S. Coast Guard, National Safe Boating Council, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and hundreds of other organizations including the Canadian Safe Boating Council and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Although the 2000 Campaign kicks off during National Safe Boating Week, it’s a year-round crusade that counts on grassroots activities and the support of many volunteer groups.