Boating Safety Checklist

Wear a life jacket on every trip. In 2024, where life jacket use was known, 87% of people who drowned in boating incidents were not wearing one (U.S. Coast Guard (opens in a new tab)).

Life jackets

• A U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person, right for the activity.
• Each one fits: right weight on the label, buckled, snug, and doesn't ride up over the chin.
• Children under 13 wear theirs whenever the boat is moving (federal law; state laws may differ).
• Babies and young children: a collar for head support and a strap between the legs.
• Inflatable life jackets are for adults only, and not for weak swimmers or non-swimmers.

Before you leave the dock

• Check the weather and the water temperature. Dress for the water, not the air.
• Leave a float plan with someone reliable: where you're going and when you'll be back.
• No alcohol on board. It is the leading known factor in fatal boating incidents.
• The operator has taken a boating safety course.

What you can do today: try every life jacket on and do the fit check in how a life jacket should fit, or use Life jacket finder.