Des Moines, Iowa — An official who’s in charge of state boating safety courses says the first step to a safe boating weekend is checking the equipment that will be transporting a vessel on land.
Susan Stocker has been the boating law administrator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources since 2009.
Once on the water, Stocker says boat operators and passengers need to be on the lookout for floating debris.
Stocker says drunk boating can be as dangerous as drunk driving on the roads because the effects of the wind and glare of the sun can enhance the effects of alcohol.
A wearable life jacket is required safety equipment for every person aboard a boat. Vessels that are 16 feet or longer need a floating device, like a ring buoy on a rope, that can be thrown to someone who may be in trouble in the water.
