Lifejackets and distress beacons feature in national boating safety campaign

Lifejackets and distress beacons feature in national boating safety campaign

1. National Safe Boating Week (NSBW) starts this week, from 30 September to 6 October.

2. This year’s key message is the importance for boaties to carry and use lifejackets and distress beacons.
3. Maritime authorities will collaborate on a range of promotional and educational activities to raise awareness among boaties with the aim of reducing fatalities.  

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) will join other Australian and New Zealand maritime authorities in a week-long campaign to remind recreational and professional mariners of the importance of lifejackets and distress beacons.

Starting tomorrow and ending on 6 October, the campaign will form the centrepiece of National Safe Boating Week as governments strive to reduce the national death toll from boating incidents.

Maritime authorities regard lifejackets and distress beacons (commonly know as EPIRBs) as essential safety equipment for boaties, particularly when venturing offshore.

Distress beacons can quickly alert search and rescue authorities to the precise location of mariners in distress, while lifejackets can keep people afloat until rescued.

In Queensland in 2022, failure to wear lifejackets was a factor in 80 per cent of boating fatalities. Thirteen of the 15 fatalities were people who drowned or were lost at sea, and of these 13, only one was wearing a lifejacket.

It is compulsory in Queensland for vessels voyaging beyond smooth or partially smooth waters, or more than two nautical miles from land in open waters, to carry a distress beacon.

The week will conclude with ‘Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day’ on 6 October to help debunk the myth that lifejackets are uncomfortable or cumbersome to wear.

Further information on National Safe Boating Week and lifejackets can be found at  https://www.anzsbeg.com.au/national-safe-boating-week

Quotes attributable to the Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey:

"Maritime Safety Queensland knows that when skippers and passengers wear lifejackets they have a much better chance of surviving if thrown into the water.

“Conversely, if they aren’t wearing them the outcomes are often deadly. 

“In Queensland in 2022, failure to wear lifejackets was a factor in 80 per cent of boating fatalities.

“But it’s not statistics that boaties need to be thinking about when deciding whether or not to wear a properly-maintained lifejacket - it’s lives, their own and those of their passengers.

“EPIRBs can be just as important in life-threatening situations where time is of the essence. Having information immediately transmitted to rescue authorities can be a lifesaver.

“Without the information transmitted by an EPIRB, even if you’ve managed to radio your plight, the search and rescue task can be like looking for a pinprick in the ocean.

“With this in mind, boaties should not forget to register their EPIRB with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

“This will ensure authorities know exactly who and what they are looking for and how to get in touch with their close contacts for further information if needed.”

Explainer/fast fact and or further information (when required/relevant):

Find out more information about carrying proper safety equipment such as lifejackets and EPIRBs.

ENDS

Media contact – Minister Bailey office