Posted by Adam Quinan on July 09, 2003 at 01:00:29 from 66.185.85.76 user Adam.
In Reply to: Re: The dramatisation that enraged Evgenia? posted by John Lambert on July 08, 2003 at 16:00:24:
To be fair to the Canadian government (actually the Canadian Standards Association anyway not the government), there is a significant distinction between a lifejacket and a Personal Flotation Device or PFD.
A lifejacket according CSA standards is a device which will not only keep you afloat but will also turn you so that you are face up without any effort by the wearer. A PFD will just keep your body afloat, it can be as simple as a cushion with a hand hold. If you are not conscious and able to keep your own face out of the water it will merely assist in recovering the body whereas a lifejacket will allow an unconscious person to survive until hypothermia gets them. Most people wear PFDs because they are significantly cheaper.