Adam Einck
(225) 765-2465
[email protected]
For Immediate Release
March 10, 2021
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division is once again reminding all boaters to practice safe boating as we approach the spring and summer boating season.
The reminder comes after two more boating fatalities within the past week, bringing the number of Louisiana boating fatalities in 2021 to seven. At this time in 2020, there were only two recreational boating fatalities.
“We haven’t even gotten into the prime boating season in Louisiana yet and we are seeing fatalities climb at an alarming pace,” said Col. Chad Hebert, the head of the LDWF Enforcement Division. “We are urging boaters to please adhere to all safe boating laws and practices.”
On Feb. 28 a person fell off of a personal watercraft without wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and drowned in Vermilion Parish. Then on March 6, a boat with five people on board struck a railroad bridge in Lake Pontchartrain, near New Orleans, that resulted in one fatality and four people being treated for serious injuries at an area hospital.
“A life jacket is the life- saving equipment on a boat. Please, please use it,” said LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet. “We want more people enjoying the water, but there are safety rules that are important to follow.”
The LDWF Enforcement Division encourages everyone to wear PFDs (commonly called life jackets) and have a sober operator while on the water. They also recommend that all boaters take LDWF’s boating education course.
It is required for anyone 16 years old and younger to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved and properly fitting PFD while underway on a vessel under 26 feet in length. Also, everyone on a vessel less than 16 feet in length, propelled by a hand tiller motor, must wear a PFD while underway. There must also be a PFD for each person on board a vessel and anyone riding on a personal watercraft must wear a PFD.
Operating or driving a vessel in Louisiana while intoxicated has the same penalties as operating a vehicle. A DWI on the water can be issued to anyone operating a moving vessel while impaired.
Boaters are encouraged to take the LDWF-approved safe boating course. It is mandatory for anyone born after Jan.1, 1984, to operate a motorboat over 10 horsepower. LDWF certified over 9,610 boaters in 2020.
To register for the course, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/boater-education. #SBSO
Mandatory Boater Education | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries