National Safe Boating Week

WHEREAS, on average, 700 people die each year in boating-related accidents in the U.S.; approximately 70% of these are fatalities caused by drowning; and

WHEREAS, the vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error or poor judgment and not by the boat, equipment, or environmental factors; and

WHEREAS, a significant number of boaters who lose their lives by drowning each year would be alive today had they worn their life jackets; and

WHEREAS, today’s life jackets are more comfortable, more attractive, and more wearable than styles of years past and deserve a fresh look by today’s boating public:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do proclaim May 17-23, 2014, as

National Safe Boating Week

in the state of Alabama.