Boating tips to keep kids safe
Make sure kids alway wear life jackets on boats. Credit: Sea Tow Foundation
Summer means boating on Long Island – and the following tips can help keep kids safe. The advice comes from the Sea Tow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to boat safety and education:
-- Be sure all kids on board are wearing life jackets. This is the law. The U.S. Coast Guard requires that all children under 13 years of age must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket unless the child is below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
-- Be sure the life jacket fits: They come in different sizes appropriate to the child's body weight. Make sure the kids haven’t outgrown their life jackets over the winter. Infant life jackets have a strap that runs between the legs and extra flotation behind the head to ensure the baby floats face up at all times.
-- Let kids help pick their life jackets: Kids often complain about having to wear life jackets. Get them “invested” in theirs by letting them pick it out for themselves. And be a good role model. If the kids see you wearing your life jacket, they’ll be more likely to wear theirs.
-- Safety starts in the parking lot: Get the kids in the habit of putting on sunblock, a hat and their life jacket before you walk to the boat. That way, they’ll be protected if they accidentally tumble off the dock.
-- Keep everything “shipshape”: When you board the boat, have everyone stow their things neatly. Be sure there are no loose lines, etc. on deck that someone might trip over.
-- Give a precruise safety lesson before leaving the dock: Remind kids it’s important to follow the captain’s orders quickly and quietly. Set a few basic rules, including no running.
-- Radio check: Be sure everyone knows how to operate the boat’s VHF radio in case of an emergency. Practice by calling Sea Tow’s Automated Radio Check service. This free service not only shows the kids how to key the microphone and talk over the VHF, it also lets you be sure the radio is in good working order. To find the Automated Radio Check VHF channel in your boating area, visit http://www.seatow.com/boating-safety/automated-radio-checks.
-- Careful when towing: When you tow kids behind the boat on inflatable water toys, water skis or a wakeboard, be sure to designate an adult to be the official watcher. Teach the kids hand signals to tell you to speed up, go slower or stop.
-- Places, Please! Give the kids assigned seats while docking, so that they don’t accidentally block the driver’s view. Make sure they know to keep their fingers and toes inside.
