Wade Bourne: Here's a plain fact, too few boaters wear life jackets. Many boaters keep their life jackets in storage compartments. They satisfy legal requirements, but they don't have these life-saving devices immediately at hand and available in a sudden emergency.



Here's another fact. A life jacket can't save your life if you're not wearing it. Nobody expects a boating accident to happen, but when one does, if a boater doesn't have his life jacket on, his chances of drowning skyrocket.

Many boaters don't wear life jackets because they are hot and bulky to the point of interfering with their fishing or boating fun. However, this excuse is no longer valid. This is because the life jacket industry now makes and sells Coast Guard-approved models that can be worn in full comfort and don't interfere with freedom of movement. Two models in particular are inflatables: SOSpenders, that fit around the neck but which are flat and very lightweight; and a belt model that is worn around the waist. Both models can be instantly inflated by yanking a lanyard. Once inflated, the belt model must be fitted around the neck and snapped in place.

Again, all boaters shouldn't just have a life jacket handy. They should wear it and be ready in the confusion and possible panic when an accident occurs. If boaters would follow this advice (and insure their passengers do likewise), lives would be saved. Truly, life jackets offer dependable, available insurance against drowning.

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