Today is National Life Jacket Day, and as we head into the first long weekend of the season, authorities are hoping to keep everyone safe.
Peter Garapick with the Canadian Coast Guard says 90% of people who drown in recreational boating accidents aren’t wearing any kind of floatation device.
“If something happens unexpectedly – and no one expects the accident to happen – you’re thrown into the water, it could be cold, it could be rough, it’s not a swimming pool. And that’s why that statistic is so high. You just cannot survive easy without a flotation device when you don’t expect to go into the water when you’re wearing clothes,” says Garapick.
Garapick says it’s important to try on different styles to make sure your life jacket fits properly.