HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) urges anyone out on the water over the Memorial Day weekend and year-round to wear a life jacket.
A DWR campaign warns “Don’t tempt the odds” and shares 85 percent of canoeing fatalities and 48 percent of kayaking fatalities involve people who were not wearing a life jacket.
Boaters should make sure they have U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets in good condition that fit everyone on the boat, including children.
“They work because they keep your head up, and that way if you also fall over and you are unconscious, it actually rolls you over to where you're not going to drown, even if you are unconscious,” a DWR official explained.
Let someone know where you are going when entering the water and when you expect to return. Always be weather aware and slow down when in a wake zone.
“Those areas are generally established with safety in mind, meaning that there could be people swimming nearby, people fishing nearby, other boats tied up, or even in some instances where people live aboard boats,” said Lt. Joshua Thomas.
DWR will patrol Virginia’s waterways and will check for properly displayed registration. If on a personal watercraft, like a small motorboat, officers will confirm whether a life jacket is worn in addition to a safety lanyard attached to an engine kill switch.
Every motorboat operator that drives a boat with 10 horsepower or greater must take a state-approved boating safety course.
The law also requires boaters to slow down if you’re passing within 50 feet of another boat, person, or fixed object.
There is a similar "Move Over" law for the water like on Virginia’s highways. Operators must slow to a “no wake speed” when they’re within 200 feet of an emergency boat with their lights on.
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