At the helm: The front line of boating safety advocacy

By Adam Quandt

It’s safe to say spring has officially sprung and that means for those of us in seasonal boating locations, things are ramping up quickly.

With the excitement around getting boaters out on the water, especially new boaters, it’s easy to forget that manufacturers, dealers and retailers make up the front lines of boating safety advocacy. It is their duty to educate both new and seasoned boaters on being safe on the water.

The most recent study from the U.S. Coast Guard reports that 4,291 accidents on the water accounted for 658 deaths, 2,629 injuries and approximately $46 million of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents in 2017. In that, 76% of fatal boating accident victims drowned, with 84.5% of that group not wearing a life jacket.

Sure, manufacturers, dealers and retailers are all sources for consumers for items they might need when it comes to boating, but they can also be resources to boaters by sharing a wealth of boating safety knowledge from safety products to rules of the waterways and everything in between.

The U.S. Coast Guard boating and Sea Tow Foundation websites (www.uscgboating.org and www.boatingsafety.com) are just some of the resources that can provide a multitude of safety information that you can pass along to your customers.

As an additional resource, the Boating Industry website now features a new boating safety page, with information from the U.S. Coast Guard that you can provide to your customers. Visit the page at www.BoatingIndustry.com/BoatingSafety.

As the front lines continue to inspire and educate safe boaters, the safety torch continues to be passed from boater to boater, continuously creating safer waterways and more enjoyable boating experience for all.

A new face at Boating Industry

David Gee

Last month we told you our editorial team continues to grow, and it has. In April, Boating Industry welcomed aboard content director David Gee. David brings a wealth of experience to the team, with a deep and varied media background as a TV news reporter and anchor and business magazine editor, as well as experience in various corporate, agency and communications consulting roles.

David will be heavily involved in creating all kinds of print and digital content across a myriad of platforms with the team at Boating Industry, as well as bring a new voice to our major industry programs like Top 100, Movers & Shakers and the 40 Under 40.

With David’s help, Boating Industry will continue to evolve so that we can better serve our readers and the industry we all hold such passion for. You don’t stay in business (especially as a magazine publisher) for 90 years without constantly evolving, so this year, we celebrate our birthday, as well as a new era at Boating Industry 


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One Comment

  1. Some of the best boating safety resources for industry and boat owners can be found at BoatUS.org, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. The Foundation is the non-profit, member-funded side of BoatUS and offers a range of free and paid online as well as practical, affordable on-water boat training courses, access to the largest and longest running life jacket loaner program, a boating safety grassroots grant program, EPIRB rentals, and lots of how-to information to keep everyone safe, from crew overboard to carbon monoxide. BoatUS helped to draft the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 and continues this actively working on the federal and state level to ensure everyone comes home safely at the end of day. It’s the perfect place to send a new boater to who wants to know more about how to be a safe boater.

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