News from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxillary
Boaters Urged to Resolve to be Safer in 2007
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Offers Four Easy-to-Follow Tips for a Safer Year on the Water
 It's two months into the new year; many New Year's resolutions have already been cast aside like used wrapping paper, leaving those making the broken resolution discouraged and disheartened, and wondering if they'll ever make a pledge they can stick to.
Well, hope is on the way. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering boaters and water enthusiasts four easy-to follow tips for those who want to resolve to be safer boaters this year:
1. Always wear your life jacket: Statistics show time and time again that many boating fatalities could have been avoided simply by wearing a life jacket. Wearing a life jacket while boating is like wearing a seat belt when driving or riding in a vehicle. Simply put, life jackets save lives! Resolve to wear one anytime you are on or near the water.
2. Be prepared - take a boating safety course: Most drivers were required to take some sort of driver's education course before getting their driver’s license. Statistics show that 70 percent of boating fatalities occur on vessels where the operator had never taken a boating safety course. Knowledge is power, and that knowledge may help you be "SEMPER PARATUS" (the U.S. Coast Guard's motto, which means "always ready") and may in fact, save your life! Resolve to make this year the year you improve your boating safety knowledge and skills.
3. Get a free Vessel Safety Check (VSC): Boats that are properly equipped, in good operating condition, and are safe from hazards are less likely to be involved in accidents and fatalities. Know before you go - request a free VSC by visiting www.safetyseal.net and clicking on "I WANT A VSC." Resolve to make sure your boat is a safe boat.
4. Avoid alcohol while on or near the water: Approximately one-quarter of all boating fatalities involve the use of alcohol as either a direct or indirect contributing factor. If you are drunk and get into an accident on the water, but are fortunate enough to survive, you will likely suffer financial and social consequences, such as large fines (similar to driving under the influence), and the loss of automobile driving privileges. But alcohol doesn't just impact the operator; passengers who have been imbibing are 10 times more likely to fall overboard and drown. Simply put, the water and alcohol don't mix! Resolve to be a sober boater.
By following these four, easy-to-follow tips on how to stay safe on or around the water, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary hopes that you and your loved ones will enjoy 2007 and be around to make more New Year’s resolutions come next January.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed, volunteer Component of Team Coast Guard who assists the active duty Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms, and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, Vessel Safety Checks and public education.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and was re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Over 27,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions. To find out more about the Coast Guard Auxiliary, or to locate your local Auxiliary unit, visit www.cgaux.org or www.auxpa.org, or call 1-877-875-6296. | 
