After more than a decade of debate and study, the federal government has approved fully inflatable life jackets for carriage on board recreational vessels. USCG-approved inflatables should be available for purchase in 1997 after the new models have been tested and final approval granted by the USCG.

The push in recent years to get inflatables approved is based on the belief of many boating safety experts that inflatables will save lives because their lightweight comfort makes them more likely to be worn by boaters.

BOAT/U.S. has been pushing hard for Coast Guard approval of inflatable life jackets for the past several years. Each year, about 80% of those who drown in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets.

What makes inflatables significantly different from inherently buoyant vests, such as those filled with foam, is that they are more comfortable to wear. They are lightweight, provide more buoyancy, and tend to be much cooler in hot weather. They do however require minimal maintenance. Inflatables contain a CO2 cartridge that inflates the vest. Automatic models inflate upon contact with water; the manual models require the wearer to pull a ripcord to activate inflation. This cartridge must be properly installed and replaced with a new one after the vest has been inflated. The new standards require indicators that show whether the CO2 cartridge is properly installed and ready for use.

When inflated, inflatable life jackets provide greater buoyancy than traditional jackets and do a better job keeping a victim's head out of the water, especially important when the victim is unconscious. They also contain an oral inflation tube so a victim can maintain buoyancy in the water for an extended period of time.

In the only large-scale nationwide field testing of inflatables, the BOAT/U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety conducted a three-year study that involved 520 volunteer boaters using eight different models on the market from 1990-93. The majority of boaters using the devices in all types of boating and waterways said they liked the wearability of inflatables and would choose one in an emergency over a traditional life jacket. Participants overwhelmingly liked inflatables because they were not hot, bulky, or uncomfortable.

The new inflatable vests will be classified into one of four categories:

Type I - Minimum 34 lbs. buoyancy. Two independent cartridges with both manual and automatic inflation mechanisms.

Type II - Minimum 34 lbs. buoyancy. Single cartridge with manual and automatic inflation.

Type III - Minimum 22 1/2 lbs. buoyancy. Single manual inflation mechanism.

Type V - 22 1/2-34 lbs. buoyancy, depending on style. Single manual inflation mechanism.