What's the most important thing you can do to keep yourself safe while swimming and boating? It's simple: Wear a life jacket.

Infants, small children and non-swimmers should always wear a life jacket when near the water. And everyone should wear a life jacket when boating – in many cases it's the law. In an emergency, seconds count – and there may not be time to retrieve stowed life jackets or put them on.

• Nearly 700 people died in recreational U.S. boating accidents in 2005, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Drowning was the cause of 70 percent of these deaths; nearly 90 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
• Overall, 426 lives could have been saved in 2004 if boaters had worn their life jackets.

Know the rules

• All recreational boats including canoes and kayak must have one wearable U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket, also known as a personal flotation device (PFD), for each person on board.
• PFDs must be:
  • Coast Guard-approved
  • Appropriate size for the intended user
  • In good condition
  • Readily accessible
• All vessels 16 feet or longer (excluding canoes and kayaks) must have one Type IV throwable flotation device.
• The Texas Water Safety Act requires children under the age of 13 in motorboats less than 26 feet in length to wear a life jacket when the boat is under way.
• Each occupant on a personal watercraft, regardless of age, must wear a life jacket.
• Inflatable life jackets are not approved for users under 16, and may not be used on personal watercraft, for water skiing or other high-speed activities.