"NOYB" wrote in message ...
"Gould 0738" wrote in message
news:20040701201925.10996.00001027@mb-
Coast Guard statistics show that 750 boaters died in 2002. Eighty-five
percent
of those who drowned were not wearing PFDs

Which means what exactly? *Most* people don't wear life jackets. So it's
probably accurate to say that most people who get into any accident will not
be wearing a life jacket when they get into that accident. Why doesn't the
Coast Guard thus claim that life jackets prevent accidents? Because it
would be an absurd conclusion! Just as it's absurd to assume that those 85%
died *because* they weren't wearing their life jackets.

The only statistic that would be meaningful would be one that looks at the
fatality/non-fatality ratio of boaters who *were* wearing their life-jackets
at the time of death. Then we'd know if a mandatory PFD law will save any
lives.

Surely you aren't so dimwitted that you don't think PFD's save lives, are you?

Coast Guard statistics show that 750 boaters died in 2002. Eighty-five
percent
of those who drowned were not wearing PFDs

Surely you aren't so dimwitted that you don't think PFD's save lives, are
you?

It didn't do much for 112 of them.
Making 60 million people wear PFDs *might* save 450 lives (based on the
government estimate). That sure sounds like a lot of government intrusion for
very little benefit.
They would do a lot better if they made passengers in cars wear helmets. Try to
get that law passed

In article ,
(Greg) wrote:

Coast Guard statistics show that 750 boaters died in 2002. Eighty-five
percent
of those who drowned were not wearing PFDs

Surely you aren't so dimwitted that you don't think PFD's save lives, are
you?

It didn't do much for 112 of them.
Making 60 million people wear PFDs *might* save 450 lives (based on the
government estimate). That sure sounds like a lot of government intrusion for
very little benefit.
They would do a lot better if they made passengers in cars wear helmets. Try
to
get that law passed

How many people were saved by PFDs? Forget the governments estimate.
We'll never know, because most of them simply climbed out of the water
and went about their business and never reported the incident. I'll bet
it was FAR more than 450 in any given year.

I wrecked my Harley years ago, split my helmet in two pieces, on
Interstate 35 at 70+. I walked away, pushing my hog, and never reported
it either.

Two years ago my neighbor was driving his Suburban down our county road,
unbelted. Based on the investigation, he got his right side tires into
the bar ditch, compensated by steering left, crossing the one lane paved
road into the left side bar ditch. The small jostling of the vehicle in
the left bar ditch ejected him out his driver's side window, where he
struck a mesquite tree at 55 miles per hour, then fell to the ground. He
died instantly. The Suburban continued down the county road for two
hundred and fifty yards before crossing back across the blacktop to the
right and continuing through a five strand barb-wire fence and brush for
another 100 yards before coming to a stop in thick brush. The vehicle
was undamaged except for minor cosmetic damage. A helmet did him no good.

My mother is a triage nurse in California. I once asked her what the
most disturbing thing she ever saw was. She told me of a young man who
dropped his motorcycle on the freeway. Before he could get up he was
struck by a car and dragged for several hundred feet. He was wearing his
helmet, but he was face down while being dragged. The helmet kept his
face in contact with the asphalt, removing his face, entirely. He
survived, unfortunately.

PFDs work, so do helmets and seat belts, but they are NOT a panacea for
accidents. **** happens.

PFDs work, so do helmets and seat belts, but they are NOT a panacea for
accidents. **** happens.

Exactly! If NTSB wants a law that works, require that PFDs are kept accessible
and in good condition. That's enough.
I am the first one to say that when you are in imminent danger you should put
on your PFD but it is stupid to tell me I need to wear one when I an putting
around the back bay at the state mandated "slow speed" in 4 feet of water (or
less). In most of the Estero Bay you can walk ashore if the boat sunk.

I am the first one to say that when you are in imminent danger you should put
on your PFD

Do you suppose most of the folks who fall overboard had enough warning that
they could have put on a PFD?

Except for suicides, 100% of the people who drown on a given day had no
intention of doing so. If they had even 10 seconds warning, most would either
change their activity, don a PFD, or both.

Accidents are tough to foresee.

Maybe the answer to wear *some* type of PFD, (even one of the belt packs), even
if not CG approved and have an approved PFD at ready hand. There's no easy
answer to this that will please everybody, which is why the topic goes round
and round, year after year.

Maybe we should simply require that all the type 4s on a boat must be in good
condition. The old kapok stories anout sitting on cushions rendering them
unsafe is obsolete. People should throw them away when the straps go bad or
they start splitting apart tho.
If you threw a type 4 to MOBs immediately the survival rate would go up
significantly. If nothing else it will give you a better target when you
execute your Williamson turn.
On my boat, if it looks like a type 4, it is. I don't have any cushions that
are not life saving devices, in good condition.

Coast Guard statistics show that 750 boaters died in 2002. Eighty-five
percent
of those who drowned were not wearing PFDs







According to NTSB statistics, 100% of passengers killed in commercial airline
crashes were not wearing parachutes.

I guess we should be looking into that....

According to NTSB statistics, 100% of passengers killed in commercial airline
crashes were not wearing parachutes.

I guess we should be looking into that....

Parachutes don't improve your safety on a commercial flight.

They can be useful, however, when leaping out of a plane.

More people will survive falling off a boat without a PFD than will survive
falling out of an airplane without a parachute.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
According to NTSB statistics, 100% of passengers killed in commercial
airline
crashes were not wearing parachutes.

I guess we should be looking into that....

Parachutes don't improve your safety on a commercial flight.

They can be useful, however, when leaping out of a plane.

More people will survive falling off a boat without a PFD than will
survive
falling out of an airplane without a parachute.

Although your premise may be correct, it is not practical for most every
boaters. You see it every day...he kids will be wearing life jackets but
how often do you see adults wearing one? Never. And why do you never see
passengers required to wear one on commercial vessels? Because it is not
required nor is it practical.

Yep...we could wear lifejackets, parachutes and personal airbags (is there
such a thing?) when we travel, but it really does not make sense nor is it
practical.

The best answer is education. Show your passengers where the life jackets
are and how to use them.

On 07 Jul 2004 22:03:35 GMT, (Gould 0738) wrote:

According to NTSB statistics, 100% of passengers killed in commercial airline
crashes were not wearing parachutes.

I guess we should be looking into that....

Parachutes don't improve your safety on a commercial flight.

They can be useful, however, when leaping out of a plane.

More people will survive falling off a boat without a PFD than will survive
falling out of an airplane without a parachute.

I'd think that 100% of the people who fall out of an airplane without a
parachute will die. I'm sure there are plenty of people who fall off a
boat without a PFD who survive.

Steve