Nov 10, 2020

To assist Transport Canada’s education and outreach efforts to enhance safety for recreational boaters, work is underway to further examine motivations and policy instruments to increase the wearing of PFDs/lifejackets on board pleasure craft.

As part of this initiative, the Office of Boating Safety has partnered with a Privy Council Office behavioural scientist to develop an online survey to assess boater’s general attitudes toward the wearing of PFDs/lifejackets. Completion of the survey by members of Canada’s recreational boating community will help Transport Canada compile up to date data regarding Canadian boater’s perspectives on PFDs/lifejacket usage in general, and help identify barriers keeping wear rates low among key demographics.

The survey has recently been launched on Transport Canada’s Marine Safety webpage and can be accessed, in both official languages, through the following links:

English: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/2XRC2RD
 
French: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/2XRC2RD?lang=fr
 
The survey will be available for completion until December 31, 2020.
As the survey’s questions are directed to recreational boaters, and aim to enhance recreational boating safety, we are hoping you will be able to distribute notice of the survey, and the associated links, to your membership. This will help ensure the thoughts and opinions of Canada’s recreational boating community are heavily reflected in the survey’s conclusions, resulting in enhanced outreach and education efforts which are best tailored to help the community at large.

Thank you for your efforts and support as we continue to develop tools to enhance the safety of recreational boaters across the country.