Lifejackets are the most important piece of safety equipment you can have onboard. A lifejacket must be carried for each person on board all vessels, unless exempt. It must be the correct size for the wearer and in good working condition.
Penalties apply to the owners and masters of vessels found not carrying lifejackets, or if there are not enough lifejackets for everyone on board. Penalties may also apply if occupants are not wearing lifejackets when they are required to do so
Modern inflatable lifejacket styles are designed to be are less cumbersome and easy to wear, and they don’t get in the way of your boating activities. There is a wide range of styles and colours available which you can view online or by visiting a local marine dealer. NSW RMS advise, 9 out of 10 people who drowned when boating in NSW were not wearing a lifejacket.
The National Boating College encourages its students to be well informed on lifejacket laws and have had a long standing requirement of making sure its trainer’s and student’s wear inflatable life jackets whilst undertaking practical on-water training.
More information
The lifejacket wear it campaign and supporting website, a NSW RMS initiative, is a great place to visit to find information, from the requirements, to servicing instructions, loan schemes and new technologies. NSW RMS also provide a free email alert service which sends you an alert when safety equipment is due to expire or when life jackets are due for replacement or servicing. The service will also allow you to include an alert for the due date for other activities such as your mooring service, engine service, registration and licence renewals.
Remember, if you are not wearing your lifejacket, it cannot save your life.