Wearing life jackets saves lives. Everyone knows this, right? Yet most people tend to forget it. However, it’s also crucial to wear a life jacket correctly to avoid risks. Water activities are exciting, and it’s understandable to get overwhelmed with water.
In all the excitement, one may overlook this piece of gear’s importance. Even experienced paddlers get complacent and may make some mistakes.
Did you know 81% of fatal boating accidents include victims drowning? Most of these accidents are easily avoidable if people start wearing life jackets properly.
Let’s shed some light on it!
Top Lifejackets Mistakes You Need to Avoid
Some things you might not know are crucial whether you wear them regularly or for the first time. And it’s better to be safe than sorry.
So, if you love to get on the water, you must equip yourself to enjoy what you love to do. Let’s learn what these mistakes are and how to avoid them.
1. Going for Looks than Fit
The only thing that you should care about is the colour of the PFD. Choosing a bright colour for the PDFs makes it easy for the lifeguard to rescue. Apart from this, always go for fit rather than worrying about the style and design of the lifejackets.
Life-saver jackets come in different sizes; some people don’t consider whether they fit them correctly. But to be honest! Only the right-fit jackets can work as you expect. Remember that your jacket should fit you snugly without being extra tight.
2. Slacking on Maintenance
Want to enjoy water sports to the fullest? Try keeping your lifejackets safe and storing them correctly when not in use. Ensure to air-dry the life-saver jackets to reduce the chances of mildew growth and keep them away from direct sunlight.
Direct heat sources tend to degrade the material and reduce its effectiveness. To that account, you may want to keep them away from such sources. After every use, clean them with mild soap and water if they get dirty.
3. Not Differentiating PFDs and Lifejackets
While PFD and life jackets intend to keep you afloat in the water, it’s vital to spot differences between them. Both PFDs and life jackets save you from drowning, but lifejackets are precisely engineered to turn your face up, even if you get unconscious.
Life-saving jackets are bulkier than PFDs. But they provide better safety. Especially if you’re on a large body of water, in bad weather, or an isolated area, lifejackets work better. On the other hand, PFDs are available in more colours than standard red, yellow, or orange life jackets.
4. Wrong PFD for the Activity
People often choose the wrong lifejackets and don’t bother to get them for specific activities. All activities require different safety protection. Hence, selecting suitable life jackets for various activities ensures optimum protection against risks.
The Bottom Line
Not wearing your life jacket around water may be your worst mistake. Remember that having personal flotation devices, or PFDs, is not enough. You have them to protect them, and no PFD can save you if you choose against wearing them.
It’s obvious, yet many people neglect it.
Apart from this, you may not want to make pointed-out mistakes to avoid the risks. Also, choosing the most visible and appropriate life-saving jackets keeps you away from harm’s way. There is no other way around it.
