Wearing your lifejacket the focus for Summer Safety Week

Your Lifejacket: Worth it to Wear It.

That’s the theme for this National Summer Safety Week.

Stats from the Canadian Red Cross show only 12 percent of the 3,324 Canadians who died in boating incidents from 1991-2010 were wearing a lifejacket properly.

Coordinator of the Communications and Media Program at the Canada Safety Council Lynn Lau says the message is to wear your lifejacket when on the boat.

She says one myth that many people believe is that if you know how to swim, you’ll be fine.

She says that’s not the case, pointing out in Canada, even on a warm day, cold water is an issue.

Lau also says swimming can be very difficult if the water is cold, if you’re fully clothed and when you’re not expecting to swim.

She says survey’s over the years have consistently shown that people are frequently carrying their lifejackets in the boat, but not wearing the