“Safe Boating Week” in Louisiana, which signifies the beginning of the spring and summer boating season, is May 20-26, 2017. It is a time for all boaters to inspect their vessels to ensure that all required safety equipment is on board and that vessels are in good working condition.
Each vessel should have enough personal flotation devices (PFD) on board for all occupants and a sober operator. LDWF regulations also state that anyone 16 years of age and younger must wear a PFD while underway in vessels less than 26 foot long. For more boating and PFD regulations, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/boating.
Alcohol use is one of the leading causes of boating crash incidents and fatalities on the water, impairing a boater's judgment, balance, vision and reaction time.
LDWF also wants to remind anybody born after Jan. 1, 1984 that they are required to successfully complete a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) boating education course to operate a motorboat over 10 horsepower. LDWF offers these classes free of charge statewide.
For a list of courses, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/boating/courses. Since the safe boating course’s inception in 2003, over 100,000 boaters have been certified in Louisiana.
In 2016 Louisiana reported 24 boating fatalities. So far in 2017 Louisiana has reported nine fatalities.
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