Boating Safety:The Use of Personal Flotation Devices.

摘要

Recent U.S. Coast Guard regulations have mandated the availability of Personal Flotation Devices (PFD's) on all recreational boats. In order to determine the level of use and factors associated with the use of PFD's, a mail survey of boat operators was conducted. The percent of respondents reporting the use of PFD's on at least one boat outing by boat operators, adult passengers, and children was 53%, 65%, and 92%, respectively. Based upon the total number of reported boat outings, 31% of the boat operators and 82% of the child passengers wear PFD's on all boat outings. A number of factors were associated with the use of PFD's by boat operators and adult passengers, including: boating safety education, boating experience, and maximum swimming distance of the boat operator, type of boat, length of boat, number of boat outings, primary boating activity, and type of waterway.