The Department of Boating and Waterways encourages boaters to wear a life jacket when sailing. Of the boating fatalities that occurred in 2009, 67 percent of the victims drowned and of that group, 84 percent weren’t wearing a life jacket. 

“There’s no reason why everyone can’t have fun on the water while also choosing to wear a life jacket,” said Raynor Tsuneyoshi, department director. “Today’s life jackets are technologically advanced, making them more convenient and less restrictive.”

Knowing how to swim is one of the most common reasons given for not wearing a life jacket and gives boaters a false sense of security. Often the victim has a serious injury or is knocked unconscious and cannot swim. Other factors that can affect swimming ability include cold water immersion, heavy clothes or alcohol consumption.

A new boating law states that children under age 13 must wear a life jacket when on a vessel that is 26 feet or less in length.

Every person on board a personal watercraft, popularly known as jet skis, and any person being towed behind a vessel must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. No person can operate any vessel, water skis or similar device under the influence of drugs or with an alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more.

For more information about life jackets or other boating laws, visit www.dbw.ca.gov or call (888) 326-2822.