Coastal Accident Life Jacket Wearing Rate 14%
Life-Saving 'Life Jackets'... Low Rescue Rate in Coastal Accidents When Not Worn
Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kwon Oh-seong) announced on the 3rd that starting in July, they will launch a “Life Jacket Wearing Habit” campaign as part of proactive administration for public safety during the peak summer water play season.
This campaign aims to raise awareness and encourage the natural practice of wearing life jackets in daily life for marine safety, as the seatbelt usage rate reaches 83% while the life jacket wearing rate remains at only 14%. Life jacket stickers will be attached at entrances of public places such as large supermarkets and educational institutions to convey this message.
In particular, the life jacket sticker enhances visibility by evoking the image of fastening a life jacket belt by hand as the automatic door closes, along with the message “Wearing a life jacket at sea keeps you safe.”
The Mokpo Maritime Police collaborated with three major supermarkets frequently visited by the public (Lotte Max, E-Mart, Homeplus), Mokpo City Hall, Mokpo Marine Cable Car, MC Energy (Mokpo City Gas), the passenger ship terminal, and two local elementary schools. They plan to expand the campaign to include sea and fisheries workers and other maritime families in the future.
The Maritime Police analyzed the 2023 coastal accident data, reporting 651 incidents and 120 deaths or missing persons. Among 1,008 people involved in coastal accidents, only 139 (14%) were wearing life jackets. They concluded that the probability of rescue would have been higher if life jackets had been worn.
Coastal accidents refer to incidents occurring in tidal flats, rocky shores, breakwaters, causeways, piers, uninhabited islands, etc., involving falls into the sea, isolation, or other accidents during coastal experiential activities, as defined in Article 2 of the Act on Prevention of Coastal Accidents.
Chief Kwon Oh-seong stated, “As marine activities sharply increase during the summer, wearing life jackets to protect individual safety is urgent,” adding, “We will strive to ensure that the public can enjoy safe summer water activities through various efforts, including the life jacket wearing habit campaign.”
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