USCG Recreational Boating Safety

The Recreational Boating Safety program is the U.S. Coast Guard’s national effort to reduce deaths and injuries on recreational boats, run under authority of the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 (46 U.S.C. Chapter 131). It sets minimum federal equipment requirements (life jackets, fire extinguishers, navigation lights, visual distress signals), administers a state grant program funding boating-safety education and law enforcement, compiles national accident statistics, and issues safety standards for boat manufacturers. The Coast Guard Auxiliary delivers much of the public education, vessel safety checks, and outreach under the program.