Louisiana wildlife officials urge safe boating ahead of Fourth of July weekend

WOODWORTH, La. (KALB) – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is reminding boaters to stay safe and never operate a vessel while impaired as the Fourth of July weekend draws crowds to the state’s lakes and rivers.

The department is participating in Operation Dry Water, a nationwide campaign focused on stopping impaired boating. Since its launch in 2009, the campaign has removed nearly 8,000 impaired operators from waterways across the country.

“Fourth of July weekend, this is a nationwide campaign that all your local, state and federal law enforcement participate in on your local waterways,” said Sgt. Jesse Davis with LDWF. “It’s just to make sure that we’re raising awareness and enforcement towards drinking alcohol and using drugs while you’re on the water.”

Wildlife officials said drinking and operating a boat can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving a car. They are encouraging anyone who plans to consume alcohol to designate a sober operator.

“At the end of the day, everybody wants to go home. Everybody wants to have a good time. It’s the Fourth of July. You can have a good time. Just get somebody to drive. Be responsible. Have somebody sober,” said Cpl. Ryan Durand with LDWF.

Officials are also recommending that boaters wear a life jacket while on the water. While adults are not required to wear one at all times, officials said a life jacket could save a life in an emergency.

“The most recent statistics on that are 87% of people that are involved in a recreational boating incident that they drown — fatality-wise — it’s 87% of those crashes involve that,” Durand said. “When you’re in a boat, you’re not always required by law to wear that personal flotation device, but it’s always a very good measure to have that on in case something happens.”

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