Sobering Facts About Boating Under The Influence; Cold Water Survival; To Avoid Hypothermia; If You Fall In The Water - Polaris SLT780 1996 Owner's Safety And Maintenance Manual

GENERAL OPERATING AND SAFETY BMFORMA"$BQN
Safe operation of this rider-active craft requires good judgement and physi-
cal skills. Persons with cognitive or physical disabilities who operate this ve-
hicle have an increased risk of overturns and loss of control which could result in
serious injury or death.
n
Do not operate this watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Sobering Facts About Boating Under The Bnflaeence
More than half of all the people who drown had con-
sumed alcohol prior to their accident.
Being intoxicated is not necessary for alcohol to be a
threat to your safety. Just one beer will impair your
balance, vision, judgement and reaction time, thus
making you a potential danger to yourself and others.
Research shows that four hours of boating, exposure to noise, vibration, sun, glare
and wind produces fatigue which makes you act as if you were legally intoxicated.
If you combinealcohol consumption with this boating fatiguecondition, it intensifies
the effects and increases your accident risk.
So remember, don't drink alcohol or take drugs if you are planning to have fun in
or on the water.
Cold Water SurwivaO
Your life may depend on a better understanding of cold water. Many suspected
drowning victims actually die from cold exposure or hypothermia.
Hypothermia is a condition in which the body loses heat faster than it can produce
it. Violent shivering develops which may give way to confusion and a loss of body
movement.
7 3 Avoid Hypothermia:
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Dress warmly
Wear proper gear and stay as dry as possible
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Seek a warm environment at the first sign of hypothermia (mild shivering)
If You Fall In The Water:
Don't discard clothing
While wearing your life jacket, draw your knees up toward your chest and hold
them there with your arms in the HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) pos-
ture