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new campaign to highlight the dangers of drinking and
boating
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consultation also being launched on the safety of jet
skis
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part of the first Maritime Safety Action Plan, working
to cut deaths on the water
People who drink while boating will be the focus of a new
government campaign to improve safety on the water.
The campaign, targeting recreational boaters, is part of the
first Maritime Safety Action
plan, published today (1 July 2019) by the Department for
Transport.
It sets ambitious targets for reducing and eliminating
preventable deaths, while also setting out the work the
government and its agencies are already doing – marking the start
of the inaugural Maritime Safety Week.
A consultation will also be held later this year on the safety of
personal watercraft – such as jet skis – to ensure lives are not
endangered by negligent users.
Maritime Minister said:
Keeping people safe on or around water is at the heart of
everything we do.
This plan is rightly ambitious in setting out how we will
reduce the number of fatalities on our waterways as quickly as
possible.
Our campaign will also reach those who don’t use boats that
often, and who may need reminding of the risks they are taking
when they drink and sail.
It is hoped that the first ever Maritime Safety Action Plan will
help cut preventable fishing deaths by 2027 and half drowning by
2026.
Maritime Safety Week, which starts today, will focus on a number
of different elements of safety on the water, including fishing
vessel safety.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has also pledged to carry out
a review of its decision-making to ensure it follows
recommendations set out by the Marine Accident Investigation
Branch, which looks into the causes of fatalities at sea.
The plan comes as one of the first actions from Maritime 2050, which
was published in January and is the government’s long-term
strategy to keep the UK as a world leader in the sector for
decades to come.
