Memorial Day Boating Safety

I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. A RECORD BREAKING NUMBER OF BOATERS ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE TO THE WATERS THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. AND DESPITE THE CONGESTION ON THE WATERWAYS, BETTER SAFETY PRACTICES APPEAR TO BE ON THE MINDS OF VOTERS. THE LATEST REPORT ON VOTING STATISTICS FROM FWC SHOWS THAT BOATING FATALITIES DROPPED FROM 81 DEATHS IN 2024. 2.51, IN 2025. THOSE NUMBERS DECREASING DESPITE THE NUMBER OF CRASHES REMAINING NEARLY IDENTICAL WGC USE SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTER TOM BAYLISS HAS MORE. >> FLORIDA IS THE BUSIEST VOTING STATE IN THE COUNTRY WITH MORE THAN A MILLION REGISTERED BOATS. THIS IS REALLY THE KICKOFF TO THE BOATING SEASON. A NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK IS THE WAY FOR US TO REMIND VOTERS. >> OF JUST SOME SIMPLE BOATING SAFETY TIP SO THEY CAN KEEP THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES SAFE. >> MOST VOTING DANGERS ANNOUNCE THEMSELVES A POP-UP STORM. A BIG WEEK. ANOTHER BOAT COMING TOO FAST CAN SOUND ALARMS. ONE KILLER DOES NOT. >> SO ONE RISK THAT PEOPLE REALLY DON'T THINK ABOUT IS OPEN AIR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE FATALITIES EACH YEAR FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING ON A BOAT. AND ONE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT CARBON MONOXIDE IS ODORLESS. SO, YOU KNOW, GOING TO SMELL THAT. >> WHEN YOU'RE OUT ON THE BOAT, THAT'S PIG PHILLIPS DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SAFE BOATING COUNCIL WHO WORKS WITH PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE GONE TO SLEEP ON THE BACK OF THE FAMILY BOAT AND NEVER GOTTEN UP. CARBON MONOXIDE POOLS AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT GETTING WORSE WHENEVER THE VESSEL SLOW DOWN LIKE IN A LONG, NO WAY FOR MANATEE ZONES AND COMAIR AND THE ODORLESS GAS HAS NOWHERE TO GO. PHILLIPS SAYS PARENTS OFTEN WAVE OFF THE WARNING SIGNS BECAUSE THEY'RE SIMILAR TO MOTION SICKNESS. >> THE OTHER THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT IT IS THE SYMPTOMS OF CARBON MONOXIDE TOXICITY ARE KIND OF THE SEASICKNESS. SO IF YOU START FEELING LIGHT-HEADED, MAYBE A LITTLE NAUSEATED, GET A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADACHE. YOU MIGHT YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT CARBON MONOXIDE RATE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T NORMALLY HAVE SEASICKNESS. AND ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN BECAUSE THEIR LUNG CAPACITY IS SMALLER. SO WE UNFORTUNATELY WORK WITH SOME FAMILIES THAT HAVE HAD HAVE LOST SMALL CHILDREN. AND THEY. HAD SPENT THE DAY OUT ON THE BOAT. HAD A GREAT DAY READY, WERE HEADED BACK IN AND FOUND THEMSELVES IN A LONG NO WAKE ZONE, WHICH WE HAVE A LOT OF THOSE IN FLORIDA. FIND YOURSELF IN A MANATEE ZONE. YOU MIGHT BE IN A NO WAKE ZONE FOR 10, 15 MINUTES, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE GOING IDLE SPEED. IF IF IF THERE'S NOT MUCH WIND IF ITS A VERY CALM DAY, CARBON MONOXIDE CAN BUILD UP ON THAT VESSEL. >> CAPTAIN PHILLIPS SAYS THE MOST IMPORTANT BOATING SAFETY TIP IS TO WEAR A LIFE JACKET. NOT WEARING A LIFE JACKET ON BOARD. SHE SAID IS LIKE RIDING IN A CAR WITH NO SEAT BELT. YOU WOULDN'T WAIT UNTIL AN ACCIDENT STARTED AND REACH FOR YOU. SEE IT WOULD BE TOO LATE. BUT EVERY YEAR THE SAME GRIM DETAIL REPEAT. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE FOUND DEAD IN THE WATER WERE NOT WEARING A LIFE JACKET. >> THE SAME APPLIES WITH US TOWED LIFE JACKET. IF YOU GOT IT UNDER A SEAT OR IN SOME KIND OF COMPARTMENT IM, NOT GOING TO HAVE TIME TO GET TO THAT BEFORE. YOU ARE FIND YOURSELF IN THE WATER. SO JUST GOING WHERE IT AND IN FLORIDA, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND LOOKING AT INFLATABLE LIFE JACKETS ARE BOTH PACKS BECAUSE THERE ARE HIGH VERY COMFORTABLE. SO I WOULD I WOULD LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE OPTIONS. >> THE SAME GUY SHOWS UP BEHIND MANY OF THE CRASHES THEMSELVES. MOST CAPTAINS HAVE NEVER TAKEN A FORMAL BOATING COURSE. LEE COLLIER AND CHARLOTTE ARE AMONG THE TOP 10 COUNTIES IN FLORIDA. WITH THE MOST BOATING CRASHES. >> AND THE BEHAVIOR CHANGES BOATERS WEARING LIFEJACKETS BOATERS GETTING THEIR STATE SPECIFIC EDUCATION VOTERS MAY BE GETTING SOME WATER OR TRAINING. SO THE COMBINATION OF THIS TEAM, 2 THINGS ARE DEFINITELY SAVING LIVES. >> IT'S IMPORTANT. WE DO BETTER BECAUSE BOATING ISN'T JUST A WAY TO RELIEVE STRESS, STRENGTHEN FAMILY BONDS AND HAVE FUN. IT'S SUPER HUGE BUSINESS. THE NATIONAL MARINE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION SAYS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF VOTING IN FLORIDA IS OVER. 31.3 BILLION DOLLARS. AND FLORIDA HAS MORE DOCUMENTED VESSELS WITH MORE THAN 1.0 2 MILLION. THAT INCLUDES TRADITIONAL VESSELS. YOU WOULD THINK OF AS BOATS, BUT ALSO DINGHIES PERSONAL WATERCRAFT, CANOES AND PADDLEBOARDS. MORE THAN 100,000 JOBS THROUGHOUT THE STATE ARE TIED TO FLORIDA'S OBSESSION WITH BOATING AND THE STATE'S BOAT OWNERS SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR ON NEW BOAT'S ENGINES AND AFTERMARKET SUPPLIES. AND THE RULES APPLY TO ALL EVEN A PADDLEBOARD COUNTS AS A VESSEL IN FLORIDA. ANYONE ON ONE HAS TO CARRY A LIFE JACKET. AND AFTER DARK, A WHITE LIGHT THAT CAN BE SEEN. FROM EVERY DIRECTION THEY ALWAYS SAY. STAY HYDRATED WHILE YOU'RE OUT ON THE BOAT. BUT LET'S SAVE THE ALCOHOL TIL YOU GET BACK TO SHORE. >> THE BOATS KEEP COMING, THE CRASHES. KEEP HAPPENING. CAPTAINS ARE STILL NOT GETTING TRAINED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT LAST YEAR, DESPITE ALL THAT, MORE BOATERS LIVED. THAT MEANS THE RECENT NUMBERS SHOW THE THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF PEOPLE LIKE CAPTAIN PHILLIPS AND HER NATIONAL SAFE BOATING COUNCIL, PEOPLE ON THE WATER ARE SAFER. >> THAT IS A SILVER LINING IN SOME OF THE DARK NEWS THAT IS AND CONTAINED IN THAT REPORT. >> YES, THANK YOU, JENNIFER. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, TOM.