The other 87 percent of the recreation area are desert and mountains. Last year we had 10 fatalities by Memorial Day, four of them by drowning. This year we are doing much better, which means our safety messages are getting through to the public, explained O Neill To date, there have been eight fatalities at Lake Mead NRA and only one from drowning. There is no concrete proof to the contrary so Lake Mead officials stand by their belief that life jackets are the single most dominant aid to saving lives on the water. Few people expect to fall into the water, but if it happens, that is not the time to start looking for a life jacket, says Nancy Bernard, Lake Mead NRA water safety education specialist.
Some people believe if the life jacket is handy, they can use it when it s needed.
Unfortunately that usually does not work since donning a life jacket in the water is not easy and requires skill and dexterity. Bernard also reminds boaters the best reason to wear a lifejacket is that life jackets float. If the person wearing one is unconscious, the life jacket may keep the person s head above water. The National Safe Boating Council claims the number one cause of small-boat fatalities is capsizing and people falling overboard. Not just any life jacket, cautions Bernard.