Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt wants to emphasize the importance of lifejackets and boating safety this summer. 

State law requires life jackets on every watercraft, whether it’s a motorized boat, jet ski, kayak, canoe, or even a paddleboard. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 87 percent of drowning victims who died from a boating accident were not wearing their life jackets. The best way to be “saved by the jacket” is to wear it at all times, no matter the level of swimming or boating expertise. 

State law states that all vessels must have at least one life jacket for each person on board and children under the age of 13 must wear one at all times on the water, unless they are in an enclosed cabin, below deck, or are in a commercial vessel. Sandholdt says it is important to follow all boating requirements and to always be prepared before going out on the water. 

“Depending on lengths of boats you need to have a type four throwable, you have a fire extinguisher, you have all these boating requirements so people just need to plan. Before they go out they need to know the size of that boat and what required equipment is there. They need to know who is required to wear life jackets at what ages and have enough life jackets. You would be amazed at the number of times we went out and we would have 5-6 people in the boat and two life jackets for the whole boat and obviously that’s going to be a citation.”

Full Iowa DNR boating requirements and regulations can be found here.