| USA. Boat manufacturers partner with the Outdoor Channel to promote boating safety |
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| Tuesday, 02 May 2006 | |
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NMMA news: At the close of the first evening of the 2006 American Boating Congress held in Washington, DC, the nation’s largest recreational marine trade association, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), and The Outdoor Channel agreed to a landmark collaborative effort to raise boating safety awareness by promoting life jacket use on the television network’s programs. The Outdoor Channel and NMMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding officially launching “The Safe Recreational Boating Practices Partnership,” a public awareness and education campaign aimed at saving lives and reducing recreational boating accidents nationwide through increased promotion of life jacket use. The agreement, signed by NMMA President Thom Dammrich; The Outdoor Channel’s Vice President of Public Relations and Conservation, Chris Chaffin; and National Transportation Safety Board Member Debra Hersman, was applauded by the audience of industry and government leaders. The initiative seeks to use the positive influence of The Outdoor Channel’s programming and outdoor show hosts engaged in safety practices to influence the network’s viewers to do the same when they are on the water. “As boating continues to grow in popularity, The Outdoor Channel and NMMA saw an opportunity to work together to continue to promote boating safety,” said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. “Our manufacturers have made great investments in developing new technologies to make lifejackets more comfortable and easy to wear, and in partnership with The Outdoor Channel, we will be able to reach and educate the viewing public about how safe and easy today’s lifejackets are to use.” “Across the country more and more Americans are turning to our nation’s waterways for enjoyment and relaxation with friends and family,” said Chris Chaffin, Vice President of Public Relations and Conservation for The Outdoor Channel. “We’re proud to join our friends at the NMMA in this joint commitment to promote lifejacket use to our large boating, fishing and hunting audience, to do our part to make recreational boating, hunting and fishing even safer pastimes.” Under the agreement, both The Outdoor Channel and the NMMA will develop a joint public relations campaign to promote a safe boating message focused on voluntary adult lifejacket use while boating, fishing or hunting on the water. By the end of 2007, The Outdoor Channel has committed to increase their television hosts’ lifejacket wear while on boats in water-related shows. NMMA manufacturing members will provide The Outdoor Channel with a variety of lifejackets to be worn by the hosts, highlighting the vast array of options now available to consumers for lifejacket use. As recreational boating has grown more popular over the years boating related accidents have held steady – or decreased in some years – in proportion to that growth thanks to the education outreach efforts of the boating industry and safety partners such as the U.S. Coast Guard and state law enforcement agencies. However, this new campaign will target users that have historically resisted voluntary lifejacket wear: adults in small open motor boats, and adults fishing or hunting from watercraft. “Today’s lifejackets come in so many different styles, are modern, easy to wear, and don’t encumber the consumer from enjoying a day on the water,” Dammrich continued. “I use an inflatable vest life jacket that is so light you hardly even notice it is on, and yet, these new life jackets provide amazing protection.” Industry efforts to increase voluntary life jacket use have not gone unnoticed in Washington, DC. NMMA is working with Congressman John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) on legislation that will be introduced in Congress providing boat manufacturers a tax incentive to supply new boats with the most up-to-date lifejackets and emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), which are small radio transmitters that search aircraft can use to quickly locate people and boats in times of emergency or in need of rescue. In exchange for providing the equipment free of charge to purchasers of new boats, manufacturers would be permitted to deduct the cost of life jackets and EPIRBs under the legislation. “Congress and our industry know that increasing voluntary lifejacket use through manufacturing incentives, education, and outreach partnerships such as the initiative announced tonight are proven methods for success,” said Monita Fontaine, NMMA Vice President for Government Relations. “We will work with Congress to pass this meaningful legislation as part of our industry’s ongoing effort to promote boating safety.” |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 May 2006 ) |
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