Northwest Iowa — Although some lakes and rivers are unsafe due to flooding, Iowa’s waterways will be swarming with boats this weekend as there’s a very hot forecast and the 4th of July holiday is just ahead.
Susan Stocker, the boating law administrator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the agency launched its annual Operation Dry Water campaign Friday.
Last summer, 38 people were arrested in Iowa on a charge of Boating While Intoxicated.
She says a boat operator is just as potentially deadly on the water as they would be on land.
She reminds boaters to always wear your life jacket, as 85-percent of drowning victims weren’t wearing one. Stocker also touts taking a boating safety education course. She notes 71-percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator didn’t receive boating safety instruction.
