Boating Safety Initiative Launched: Boat Smart From The Start!

Today, the world's leading authorities on boating safety--the U.S. Coast Guard, National Safe Boating Council and National Association of State Boating Law Administrators--are working with the Safe America Foundation, Baywatch and Bombardier SEA-DOO, to launch the most ambitious boating safety campaign in our nation's history!

The 1998 Boat Smart From The Start National Safe Boating Campaign is designed to reach consumers around the country by combining the efforts of boating safety experts, industry, media and local government to communicate the message: Wear Your Life Jacket! Boat Smart From The Start.

"Each year approximately 700 people die in boating-related accidents - nine out of 10 victims were not wearing a life jacket," says James D. Hull, Rear Admiral, US Coast Guard. "This year's theme, 'Wear Your Life Jacket! Boat Smart From The Start,' is a simple but often forgotten message the campaign will communicate to more than 78 million boaters - moving them to action. Our overall goal is to minimize the loss of life and personal injury associated with the use of recreational boats through preventive means."

During the campaign's launch at Baywatch headquarters in Santa Monica, CA, the team unveiled their year-long program that includes a public service announcement (PSA) featuring Baywatch superstars David Hasselhoff and Kelly Packard. The PSA will be distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada and will air four times during Baywatch programming. Additional program elements include a satellite media tour, three video news releases, monthly safety releases and a grass roots effort responsible for distributing more than 18,000 campaign action kits to local communities.

This year's program is built on a solid foundation established the past two years with a record-breaking safety awareness campaign featuring public service announcements (PSA) starring NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon. The Gordon campaign is credited with spreading the word about responsible boat operation and the importance of wearing life jackets to more than 100 million consumers as the most-watched PSA of the year.

Expectations for the 1998 campaign are even greater. With more than one billion viewers tuning in each week in 140 countries on six continents, Baywatch has handily won the title of the "Most Popular Show On Earth." This campaign partnership combines quality organizations, concerned citizens and the 200-year, life-saving history of the U.S. Coast Guard to provide extensive public service and outreach. The campaign is made possible in part through a grant from the Aquatic Resources (Wallop-Breaux) Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Coast Guard and produced by the National Safe Boating Council.