KEEP SAFETY FIRST AS THE SUMMER SEASON BEGINS

NTSB ACTING CHAIRMAN SAYS KEEP SAFETY FIRST AS THE
SUMMER SEASON BEGINS

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As we approach the beginning of another summer travel season,
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker
today reminded all Americans that a few simple safety precautions
can keep us safe while we spend time with family and friends.
Rosenker emphasized the importance of safety on our waterways
by encouraging the use of personal flotation devices (PFDs) for
recreational boaters. Every year more than 700 boaters die on U.S.
waterways, and about 70 percent of those are by drowning. Most of
those that drowned were in small boats, those less than 21 feet
long. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the use of PFDs (life
jackets) would have prevented at least 80 percent of those drowning
deaths.

"It has been proven that life jackets will save many more lives if our
family members take that extra step to wear them when boating,"
said Rosenker.

Rosenker again urged Virginia and Wisconsin, the only two states
that do not require children to wear PFDs while boating, to enact
such legislation this year. Wisconsin is currently considering such
a law.

Highway transportation accounts for more than 90 percent of all
transportation fatalities in the United States. The NTSB has long
advocated a series of safety improvements for highway travel,
including mandatory seat belt laws, age-21 drinking laws and child
restraints.

Like PFDs for those on boats, being properly restrained in an
automobile is the best way to protect every person in a vehicle.
Unrestrained vehicle occupants are ejected 29 percent of the time.
When totally ejected, 74 percent are killed. When vehicle
occupants use seat belts, only 1 percent of the belted population is
ejected. When buckling up children, remember that children up to
8 years old need to be in a child safety seat or booster seat
appropriate for their height and weight.

"All of these safety measures take just a moment to remember and
act upon," said Rosenker. "All of us should do our part to make
this holiday weekend and all those to come a safe and enjoyable
one."

For safety alerts on boating and highway transportation please visit
the NTSB Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/alerts/alerts.htm.