The Fourth of July is one of Iowa’s most popular holidays for boating, but historically it’s been one of the most dangerous. State Department of Natural Resources boating safety expert, Susan Stocker says many accidents and injuries can be prevented with good planning. She says Iowa law requires that the water craft have onboard; one life jacket per person as well as other equipment. She says “ you also need to have a fire extinguisher, any boat motor that is greater than 10 horsepower needs a fire extinguisher, you also need a whistle or horn so you can signal for assistance and the final thing would be a throwable life jacket so if someone ends up in the water you can throw it to them.”
Stocker says it’s never a good idea to mix alcohol with water activities. She says just as with vehicles on land; if you drink, have someone else drive.
