We all know about the dangers of texting while driving a car, but what about texting while driving your boat? It’s just the same really, leading to distractions, not looking where you’re going, losing situational awareness, and potentially leading to an accident of one shape or another. (I actually have a thing about paying attention when I’m driving a boat, whether it’s my old 8-knot Grand Banks or a 162-mph Fountain raceboat. I do want to concentrate on what’s going on, and I hate it when a passenger, however, well-meaning, leans in front of me to adjust the chartplotter or tune the radar; I don’t think I’m alone here.)
Now that Safe Boating Week is coming up (May 20-26), BoatU.S. is reminding us about the dangers of distracted boating, particularly the use of smartphones on the water. On the road, the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission says that sending or receiving a text message takes your eyes off the road for five seconds, potentially leading to a fatal accident. On the water, that amount of time can lead you outside the channel, into the path of an oncoming boat, or into all sorts of unpredictable situations, none of them good.
Here’s some good advice from the BoatU.S. Foundation aimed at keeping you safe on the water:
http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=1293#.WRoAsMdlmT9
