Boating Enthusiasts Attempt to Set Life Jacket World Record

MANASSAS, VA--(Marketwired - May 10, 2016) - Boating enthusiasts will team up around the globe to heighten awareness of different life jacket styles, including inflatable and inherently buoyant life jackets, for Ready, Set, Wear It! Life Jacket World Record Day on May 21, 2016. The National Safe Boating Council and Canadian Safe Boating Council sponsor this international event.

"We recommend boaters do a routine inspection on each of your life jackets to ensure they're in good condition and test your inflatable life jacket each year. 'Ready, Set, Wear It!' offers a great opportunity to do this and you have the chance to help break a world record!" said Rachel Johnson, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council.

This year's attempt aims to break the 2015 world record of 10,917 participants who inflated their own inflatable life jacket or wore an inherently buoyant life jacket at 257 worldwide events on a single day. Nearly 30,000 people have participated in the event since 2010.

Those who enjoy boating, fishing, paddling, or hunting are encouraged to attend -- and, don't forget four-legged friends! Find out more about local events at readysetwearit.com.

Inflatable life jackets rely on CO2 cylinders that provide buoyancy when inflated versus inherently buoyant life jackets that use foam or other buoyant materials to stay afloat. Many inflatable life jackets inflate automatically when immersed in water.

"If you're not sure how an inflatable life jacket works, be sure to attend this fun and educational event at a location near you," said John Gullick, chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council. "Inflatable life jackets are available in belt-pack, suspender or vest styles -- all are lightweight and comfortable to wear."

Ready, Set, Wear It! will usher in National Safe Boating Week, this year May 21-27, 2016. These efforts are part of the annual Wear It! boating safety campaign which promotes voluntary, consistent wear of life jackets. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in three-fourths of recreational boating fatalities in 2014, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

Wear It! unites the efforts of a wide variety of boating safety advocates and is produced under a grant from the Sports Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Follow Wear It! on Facebook and Twitter: facebook.com/safeboatcampaign and twitter.com/boatingcampaign. Visit safeboatingcampaign.com.