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LJ 2 Require Life Jacket Use by All on Human-Propelled Vessels

Key area

Life Jackets

Require that everyone wear a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while on or in any human-propelled vessel. Human-propelled vessels are powered only by its occupants (e.g., canoes, kayaks, rafts, stand-up paddle board (SUPs), etc.)

Spectrum level: Influencing Policy and Legislation

Evidence level: High

Implementation levels: National State

Rationale:

National Casualty data shows that, in a recent five year period, an average of 120 people die on human-propelled vessels. Based on U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) analysis of life jacket wear rates and boating related drownings, it's estimated that about 85% of boat related drownings could have been prevented if life jackets were worn. Before the "Wear It" campaign in the Delta, adult wear was 8.5% with a slight rise in wear to 10.5% three years after the campaign. Before mandatory regulations at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) lakes, adult wear was 13.7%, increasing to 75.6% during the first year of regulations and remaining at a 68.1% wear rate durning year three of the mandate. Additionally, evidence shows that a 18.5% increase in life jacket wear rate causes a decrease in the number of fatalities by 56.5%. Finally, in a recent study by the Outdoor Industry, it was indicated 30% paddlers don’t own a PFD and 15% of participants don’t feel a PFD is necessary which is indicative of the high fatality rates for one vessel type.

Anticipated Impact:

After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes:

  • A decrease in the number of drownings on human propelled vessels, saving an estimates 100 lives annually nationwide.

Evidence:

There is strong evidence to support that mandatory life jacket wear increases both life jacket use and can help reduce drowning. This evidence includes:

  • The adoption of laws and subsequent enforcement have been perceived to be an important facilitator for life jacket wear.
  • Collaborators and focus group participants emphasized that making life jacket use mandatory through legislation and enforcement would be the only way to get more people to use them, even when they did not support the idea of legislation.
  • Life jacket use increased only slightly in the first year of the high visibility marketing campaign. Life jacket use dramatically increased in year 1 of mandatory wear and high use was sustained in the following years as boaters became accustomed to life jacket wear.
  • An 18.5% increase in wear rate causes a decrease in the number of fatalities by 56.5%.
  • Before the "Wear It" campaign, adult wear was 8.5% and rising slightly to 10.5% just over three years into the campaign. Before mandatory regulations at USACE lakes, adult wear was 13.7%, increasing to 75.6% during the first year and remaining high at 68.1% in the third year.
  • A Victoria, Australia regulation requiring personal flotation device wear showed a significant a significant decrease in drowning deaths among all recreational boaters.
  • Highest life jacket use was strongly associated with laws requiring use and with adult role modelling.
  • Kayaks are the second most likely vessel from which fatal drownings occur.

Evidence Sources:

Cox K.L., Bhaumik S., Gupta M., & Jagnoor J. (2022). Facilitators and barriers of life jacket use for drowning prevention: Qualitative evidence synthesis. Journal of Safety Research, Feb(80), 135-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.11.010

Quistberg D.A., Bennett E., Quan L., & Ebel B.E. (2014). Low life jacket use among adult recreational boaters: A qualitative study of risk perception and behavior factors. Accident Analysis & Preventio,. Jan (62), 276-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.10.015

Mangione T., & Chow W. (2014). Changing life jacket wearing behavior: An evaluation of two approaches. Journal of Public Health Policy, 35(2), 204-218. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43288018

Viauroux C. &, Gungor A. (2016). An empirical analysis of life jacket effectiveness in recreational boating. Risk Analysis. 36(2), 302-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12449

Bugeja L., Cassell E., Brodie L.R. & Walter S.J. (2014). Effectiveness of the 2005 compulsory personal flotation device (PFD) wearing regulations in reducing drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia. Injury Prevention, 20, 387-392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2014-041169

Chung C., Quan L., Bennett E., Kernic M.A., & Ebel B.E. (2014). Informing policy on open water drowning prevention: An observational survey of life jacket use in Washington State. Injury Prevention, 20(4), 238-243. https://www.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2013-041005

Canadian Red Cross. (2016). The flotation report: Life jackets/personal flotation devices and boating fatalities in Canada: 20 years of research. https://www.redcross.ca/crc/documents/What-We-Do/Swimming-Water-Safety/2016FlotationReportEMay30.pdf

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (2010) Mandatory life jacket study/test. U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings. https://cdn.ymaws.com/aca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/spp-documents/usacepfdstudy&test.pdf

Mangione T. (ed). (2021). Summary of suggestions for increasing life jacket use. Unpublished survey notes from online survey conducted with persons indicating interest in life jackets via https://www.watersafetyusa.org/nwsap.html

U.S. Coast Guard. (2023) Annual recreational boating statistics report. COMDTPUB P16754.36. https://uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2022.pdf

High Risk Populations Addressed:

The population whose risk of drowning decreases the most with the implementation of this recommendation may have one or more of the following characteristics:

  • Individuals participating in paddlesports

Evaluation Metrics:

Indicators of long-term impact:

  • Adoption of a federal regulation for mandatory wear of a USCG approved life jacket on all persons in or on a human-propelled vessel
  • A reduction in the average annual national deaths to under 20
  • Adoption of a state specific regulation for mandatory wear of a USCG approved life jacket on all persons in or on a human-propelled vessel
  • A decrease in the average annual deaths attributed to these vessels

Indicators of intermediate impact:

  • A Boating Safety Advisory Committee (BSAC) resolution toward the U.S. Coast Guard
  • Increase in the type and design of life jackets directly marketed to human-propelled vessel users
  • Increase in the number of states that pass mandatory wear requirements

Implementation:

Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:

  • Consider exemptions while in surf zones and when participating in competitive races when drafting in the Federal CFR.
  • Leverage states that already require life jacket use among paddlers in the winter months.
  • Consider that participants in paddle sports and those using other human propelled vessels aren’t required any training or education.
  • Consider messaging around the risks presented due to the portability of human propelled watercraft.

Challenges to Implementation:

When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors:

  • Paddlesports participants are largely fragmented in their organization structure just by the nature of their unique types of crafts and the waters they use them on, therefore, there is no one single voice of this community and you may encounter a multitude of opinions on this topic.
  • Federal regulatory changes take a significant amount of time to accomplish, therefore, it is likely that a federal approach may not be accomplished quickly.
  • State regulations may get preempted by the federal preemption clause in the Code of Federal Regulations by the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • States may resist being forced to comply with a federal regulation even if it benefits their own citizens.

Potential Facilitators:

The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation:

  • Consider using states that require paddlers wear life jackets in the winter months as a model.
  • Utilize groups like the U.S. Coast Guard BSAC (Boating Safety Advisory Committee), the state’s boating authorities, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), American Canoe Association (ACA), and Stand Up Paddle Industry Association (SUPIA).
  • People are already required to have a life jacket that fits in the vessel so there is not a cost implication to the boater.
  • Utilize examples of support and policies from both more liberal and more conservative states.
  • While working towards national and state adoption, pursue policy change at the organizational level (i.e. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, national parks, state parks, county and city parks, boat rentals, fishing tournaments, etc.)
  • Partner with the insurance industry to support the implementation of this recommendation in ways that other injury areas like seat belts and child passenger safety.
  • Consider using the momentum from a recent U.S. Coast Guard BSAC recommendation for whitewater rafts, proposed to remove the requirement for a Type IV throwable device on these vessels if all parties on the vessel were wearing a USCG approved life jacket.

GAP Recommendation:

None