It was one of the messages Coastguard staff delivered to Central Otago boat users over the weekend.
The Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade campaign sailed into Alexandra on Saturday giving residents the chance to upgrade their old, damaged or out-of-date lifejackets for discounted new replacements.
The campaign van has been touring around numerous parts of the country over the summer period.
Old4New community ambassador Sue Tucker, of Auckland, said the endeavour is about informing people of the dangers of an old jacket.
"It’s about educating people about being safe on the water.
"It’s time for people to start taking responsibility and start checking [their lifejackets.]"
Ms Tucker said people on previous stops had brought in dangerous kapok jackets which was "like having a wet towel around you."
"You would be better off without a lifejacket."Kapok is a fluffy plant fibre similar to cotton which can absorb water.
Since the inception of Old4New in 2013, over 10,000 old or damaged lifejackets have been traded in and upgraded.
Ms Tucker said "at least 200" jackets had been traded in over the weekend at stops in Dunedin, Alexandra and Cromwell.
Central Otago district councillor and Alexandra resident Barrie Wills disposed of several out-of-date lifejackets."You got to have a decent lifejacket at sea these days.
"The old days of people not taking proper safety pre-cautions are behind us," Dr Wills said.
"It’s great to see."
Because of demand, Coastguard will be in Clyde tomorrow night for an additional stop-off.
* For more information on boat safety get in touch with Coastguard (coastguard.nz)
