Rachel Johnson, communications director for the National Safe Boating Council, presented at the 2013 International Boating and Water Safety Summit on March 25, 2013 in San Antonio, TX. Rachel provided an update on the 2013 Wear It! campaign, focused on educating recreational boaters about the importance of life jacket wear. She included information on available resources for others to use for their own grassroots efforts and how to get more involved in the campaign on a local level.

1. Wear It!
Two Little
Words
Making a Big
Difference
San Antonio, TX
March 25, 2013
#IBWSS2013
#WearIt

2. Strategic Plan of the
Recreational Boating Safety
Program 2012-2016

3. Creating a Safety Culture

4. 2013 Wear It! Campaign –
National Outreach

5. “Casting Off” PSA

6. “Casting Off” Print PSA

7. “Casting Off” Print PSA

8. NEW PSA with GEICO

9. Wear It! Campaign –
State Efforts

10. Wear It! Campaign –
State Efforts

11. Wear It! Campaign –
State Efforts

12. Social Media - Facebook

13. Social Media
– Twitter

14. Wear Your
Life Jacket
to Work Day

15. “Ready, Set, Wear It!”
 ReadySetWearIt.com
 Saturday, May 18, 2013
 First Day of NSBW (5/18-5/24)
 6,800+ participants
 FREE Replacement Cylinders

16. Wear It! Grassroots Efforts

17. Wear It! Additional Resources
BoatingOrders.com

18. Measureable Results
- Life jacket usage increased among those who signed the pledge immediately and
continued at a higher level of compliance a year later. This was true for both recipients and non-
recipients of free life jackets.
- Participants believe the campaign was effective, regardless if they received a free life jacket or
not.

19. Saved by the Jacket (2012)
110 Stories, over 370 survivors
OR: “The Coast Guard say that Hale's life
jacket probably saved his life, and he
probably would have drown[ed] in about five
minuets because the water is so cold."
NJ: “McCabe stayed with his overturned kayak
and was wearing his life jacket, which greatly
aided in his survival.”
SC: “He was saved because he had a life
jacket that kept him afloat until he could be
rescued by bystanders.”

20. SafeBoatingCampaign.com
Rachel Johnson, Communications Director
outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org