# Presentation: 063642

## Personal Floatation Devices in Recreational Boating 

- James P. Muldoon, Chairman
- National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC)

## NBSACComposition & Mission

- National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC)
- 21 Members with diverse composition
- 7 from States (NASBLA)
- 7 from Industry
- 7 from boating public
- Mission
- Provide direction to the US Coast Guard on proposed & current recreational boating safety regulations and other boating safety matters

## NBSAC Resolutions

- Recognized increased concern for boating fatalities associated with lack of PFD wear rates
- Prompting from 1996 – 2004:
- 13 Council resolutions
- 3 rule promulgations

## NBSAC Actions/Findings

- Focus on areas aimed at increasing PFD wear rates have included:
- Boater education
- Child PFD wearage requirements
- PFD technology
- Model Act for PFD wear
- PFD workshops

## NBSACBoater Education

- Requested USCG / NASBLA jointly encourage & support adoption of mandatory safe boating education
- Supported State boater education reciprocity programs
- Requested the USCG engage in PFD public awareness programs

## NBSACBoater Education (cont.)

- Requested USCG work with NASBLA and NTSB to accelerate development of State boater education
- Efforts continue today as more States enact boater education that include the lifesaving benefits of wearing PFDs

## NBSACChild PFD Wearage

- Initial focus was to enact measures to protect children
- Beginning in 1998, recommended Federal rulemaking requiring PFD wearage by:
- children 12 years and under
- riders of personal watercraft (PWCs)
- riders of tow behind activities

## Four (4) additional resolutions resulted in an Interim Rule for wearing of PFDs for 12 & under children – June 2002
Effective December 2003
Final Rule July 30, 2004

- Effective December 2003
- Final Rule July 30, 2004

**NBSAC**Child PFD Wearage (Cont.)

## NBSACPFD Technology

- Encouraged USCG pursuit & approval of user-friendly PFD options
- Resulted in increased availability of approved inflatable PFDs
- Promoted usage of unconditionally approved Type I & II PFDs for children less than 50 lbs. for special water activities
- Promoted carriage of PFD cartridges on airlines

## NBSACModel Act Mandatory Wear

- Recognized that education & intervention had no effect on PFD wear rates
- Requested NASBLA develop a Model Act requiring wearage of PFDs on:
- Vessels on 21 feet and under
- While underway

## NBSACPFD Workshops

- Recognized that education, mandatory child PFD laws & technology advances had no effect on PFD wear rates
- Requested USCG organize PFD workshops representing all segments of the recreational boating community, to explore means of increasing PFD wear rates

## NBSACPFD Workshops (Cont.)

- To follow up on recommendations from workshops, a working panel of all interested parties was formed
- To ensure allocation of USCG resources, the Council set wear rate goals:
**Overall** rate 	44% though 2007
**Interim** rates 	27.5% though 2005
- 					33% through 2006

## NBSACConclusion

- Drownings caused by failure to wear PFDs must be reduced by:
- Encouraging industry to expand availability of affordable, user-friendly PFDs
- Promoting child PFD wear requirements
- Continuing to consider some form or mandatory PFD wear requirement