Safety making waves at Sydney International Boat Show
by Alessia Barilaro 3 Aug 2019 05:45 UTC
1-5 August 2019
The 2019 Sydney International Boat Show, which has a major focus on water safety, has sailed into Sydney's International Convention Centre with Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Roads Eleni Petinos officially opening the event.
NSW has over 2,000 kilometres of coastline and 12,000 square kms of navigable waterways, including estuaries, rivers, lakes and dams. Almost one in five households own a recreational vessel, including boats, personal watercraft and paddle craft, such as kayaks and stand up paddle boards.
"We want to make sure everyone can enjoy our beautiful waterways safely, and while we are seeing lifejacket use at record levels, nearly eight in ten people who drown while boating are found not to be wearing a lifejacket", Ms Petinos said.
"Along with not wearing lifejackets, other causes of preventable incidents include excessive speed, having no proper lookout, excessive alcohol consumption and poor judgement - all of which are targeted in the Maritime Safety Plan.
"Our aim is to reduce serious boating injuries and fatalities by 30 per cent come 2021. We are making good progress towards safer waterways but we all need to play our part to encourage a safety first culture in NSW."
Transport for NSW has partnered with the Boating Industry Association and boating safety experts to host the Boating Safety Zone at the Show.
An interactive educational area which will promote safe, responsible, and enjoyable boating, the Zone will feature lifejacket demonstrations and industry experts including Boating Safety Officers, Marine Area Command, Marine Rescue NSW, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and the Bureau of Meteorology.
Visitors can play a boating simulation game where they are encouraged to make safe choices and guide a boat through a typical maritime environment.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the boat show, which is being held from Thursday 1 August to Monday 5 August at Darling Harbour's International Convention Centre.
To view the Maritime Safety Plan visit maritime.towardszero.nsw.gov.au/#the_plan.