Standard instructions fail to explain the physics of freeboard and rotational momentum. Without a secured crotch strap, a lifejacket is not a wearable device; it is a buoyant balloon fighting to escape the wearer.
This is the most skipped step in , yet it is the most critical for offshore use. The crotch strap (a webbing loop that passes between your legs) prevents the lifejacket from lifting over your head when the buoyancy activates. To don:
A lifejacket's effectiveness depends largely on how quickly and accurately it can be donned during an emergency. Donning Speed
