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50 Years: The Department of Boating and Waterways, 1957 to 2007
during commute times on Thursdays and Fridays, when boaters were
thinking about the upcoming weekend, and Saturdays and Sundays, as
listeners drove to boat launching facilities.
The “Safe Boating Is Big FUN” campaign, which ran from 2000-2005,
made use of road sign-style outdoor billboards and wall graphics
– mini billboards strategically placed at launch offices, boat ramps,
marinas, bait stores, and fuel docks – that drove home a variety of safe
boating messages: “Don’t crash your own party – take a boating safety
course;” “Caution, no lines ahead;” “Beware, boats may come out of
the blue;” and “Remember, boats don’t have brakes.”
In 2003 and 2004, an increase in fatalities among boaters who were
fishing at the time they died prompted a new safety message on fishing
radio and TV shows and in fishing publications. The “Buckle up, even
while you fish” and “Fish have gills, fishermen don’t” catchphrases
urged anglers to wear their life jackets while fishing. Additionally, Cal
Boating promoted the idea of traveling at a safe speed and encouraged
boaters to “Slow, slow, slow your boat” in high-traffic areas as well as
locations where people were fishing. In 2006, the campaign shifted to
a single, serious idea: “If it’s your boat, it’s YOUR responsibility.” Use
of radio public service announcements to communicate the message
intensified, and the department recruited actual boaters to tell their
stories for radio testimonials on boating safety.
Today, Cal Boating promotes boating safety in many different ways.
For example, staff members work with county sheriffs’ and local park
and recreation departments to help them use boating accident data to
understand what is happening on their waterways, enforce regulations
and plan safety campaigns. The department also assists the media with
stories about boating safety and participates on national committees
to discuss boating safety trends and how to better collect and use
accident data. In addition, Cal Boating helps stage pre-recorded radio
interviews about what problems people are experiencing out on the
water, what boaters should watch for, and what they can do to be safer
and protect others.
Cal Boating offers the California Home Study Correspondence Boating
Course, which features boating safety guidelines, navigational rules
and equipment requirements. Boaters can take the workbook-style
course at their own pace and receive a certificate of completion if they