Personal Watercraft Insurance, Boating Safety, Learning is a Process
Don’t think one lesson in boat safety is enough for children or teens of any age. Consider instead making safety a part of every boat trip, both in the pre-planning and on the journey. Involve children of all ages in the pre-trip planning as well as ensuring safety while on the water. Some ideas to make boating safety a way of life rather than a one-time occurrence include:
• Discuss safety as a family regularly. Ask younger children what they remember in a fun way, challenging them to help list ways to stay safe on the water. Find interesting news stories or television shows about boat safety to analyze with older children and teens.
• When you’re planning your next boating trip, talk through practical considerations as a family and ask for your children’s input. Get them to feel part of the process and make their contributions seem valuable to the safety of everyone on the boat.
• Consider taking a Red Cross first aid class and boating safety classes as a family.
• Create a family boat safety checklist. Get the children to help ensure all your safety items are on board and in good shape. Learning to plan and take inventory is invaluable.
• When you are on the water, ask the children to check to see if each person is safe. Young children delight in finding mistakes and being part of the solution. Have older children run through the family safety checklist to take inventory. Appoint older children to watch over younger ones, using the buddy system as an effective way to watch that everyone stays safe.
