RICHMOND—‘Always wear your life jacket’ is the motto of the National Safe Boating Council’s Safe Boating Campaign—and one of the best ways to prevent drowning while on a watercraft.

In 2010, nearly 75 percent of all fatal U.S. boating accident victims drowned; of those, 88 percent were not wearing a life jacket, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“Whether you can swim or not, it’s important that boaters of all ages, on any size watercraft, wear a safety jacket at all times while on the water,” said Jimmy Maass, safety manager for Virginia Farm Bureau. “Life jackets made today are lighter and less obtrusive, so there’s really no excuse not to wear one.”

Other ways to stay safe while boating include not drinking alcoholic beverages while operating a boat.

“Boating and alcohol mixed together is a fatal combination,” Maass said. “You don’t drink and drive on the highway, so why would it be OK to do it on the open waters?”

An operator with blood alcohol content greater than .10 is 10 times more likely to die in a boating accident, he noted.

“Above asking for trouble, operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal in Virginia and a violation of federal law.”

While operating a boat, stay alert to all hazards, and maintain control of the boat while respecting others’ rights of way.

The Virginia General Assembly passed a law in 2007 that requires Virginia boaters to pass a safety course online or in a classroom.

For more information on the Safe Boating Campaign, visit safeboatingcampaign.com. For more information on the state’s boating safety course, visit the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ website at dgif.virginia.gov.

Contact Maass at 804-290-1379.