JACKSON, Wyo. — In anticipation of people getting out on the water for the Fourth of July holiday, Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and Wyoming State Parks (WSP) are reminding boaters to take proper safety precautions.
All watercraft, from motorized boats to paddle boards and kayaks, are required to have enough lifejackets for everyone on board, WGFD and WSP advised in a news release. These personal flotation devices (PFDs) should be sized to fit and easily accessible. Children 12 and under should be wearing lifejackets any time a vessel is underway.
“We want all boaters to safely enjoy Wyoming’s waters. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a life jacket for all of the passengers in your watercraft. It is the law and life jackets are proven to save lives,” Aaron Kerr, Game and Fish law enforcement coordinator, said in the reminder.
Drowning accounted for 75 percent of recreational boating deaths in 2023, and 87 percent of those victims were not wearing life jackets, according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics.
In addition to PFDs for all passengers, WGFD and WSP are reminding motorized boaters to have the following required safety equipment on board:
- At least one throwable flotation device, such as a ring buoy or a float cushion, on boats 16 feet or longer
- A proper fire extinguisher on any boat with an inboard engine, a permanently installed fuel tank, a closed living space, unsealed double bottoms or compartments that store fuel tanks or other combustable materials
- Navigation lights when boating between sunset and sunrise, and a white light visible from 360 degrees around the boat when underway
Operators of motorized boats must be 16 years or older, and boating under the influence of any alcohol or drugs is illegal, WGFD and WSP caution.
