Boaters Aim to Break Record on Ready, Set, Wear It! Life Jacket World Record Day This May 16

MANASSAS, VA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2015) - Help break a world record! Boating safety advocates have teamed up around the globe to heighten awareness of different life jacket types that are available, including inflatable life jackets, for Ready, Set, Wear It! Life Jacket World Record Day on May 16, 2015. The National Safe Boating Council and Canadian Safe Boating Council sponsor this international event.

"This is a great opportunity for boaters to get a refresher on boating safety while joining thousands of others to set a world record for the most life jackets worn on the same day," said Rachel Johnson, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council.

Ready, Set, Wear It! will usher in National Safe Boating Week, this year May 16-22, 2015. This one-day event is part of the yearlong Wear It! campaign to promote boating safety and 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 2013, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

"Boaters can still have fun while choosing to always wear a life jacket," said Jean Murray, chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council. "Last year we made history when nearly 7,000 participants at 175 events around the world helped us raise awareness of boating safety."

All members of the boating public -- including anglers, hunters, paddlers and others who use boats (don't forget your four-legged friends!) -- are encouraged to attend. Nearly 20,000 people have participated in Ready, Set, Wear It! since 2010, breaking the world record each year for the most life jackets worn and inflatable life jackets inflated on the same day. Find out more at readysetwearit.com.

Wear It! unites the efforts of a wide variety of boating safety advocates, including the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and Canadian Safe Boating Council with the National Safe Boating Council. It 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 Twitter at @boatingcampaign, like on Facebook at facebook.com/safeboatcampaign, and share your boating story at safeboatingcampaign.com.