Iowa prepares for boating season with safety trainings and patrols

As Iowans prepared for Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer, the Department of Natural Resources and law enforcement agencies around the state have been prepping, too. The start of boating season means extra patrols on common water recreation areas, and extra training for law enforcement and boat retailers.

Retailer training expanded in recent years

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been expanding its retailer training program in recent years to make sure the people selling boats are giving out the right safety information to buyers, said Susan Stocker, the boating law education coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources.

While the DNR has offered training to retailers for many years, it started to amp up its available resources in 2020. Water recreation gained in popularity during the pandemic, but the DNR wasn’t able to go in-person to provide trainings to retailers. So, they made a video that they were able to send out instead, and since then the department has worked to create more online, accessible resources.

Stocker said an emphasis of the retailer training is making sure that the people renting or buying boats have a life jacket. In Iowa, everyone riding in a boat is required to have a life jacket with them. Kids 12 and under must be wearing a life jacket whenever the boat is moving, but Stocker said she’d like to see everyone follow that rule, especially in smaller boats.

“If you’re in a paddle craft, you might as well assume that you’re going to get wet and you’re going to tip over. It’s not that they’re any more dangerous. They’re just a little bit less stable and chances are you’re going to tip over and get in the water,” Stocker said.

Stocker said recently she’s been working to get more training to employees at big box stores, where small paddle boats like canoes and kayaks are becoming more common.

“We wanted to make sure that we provided those resources to say, ‘Hey, life jackets are required. Why don’t you put life jackets near where you’re selling canoes and kayaks and get your salespeople to suggest them and educate,’” Stocker said.

State tracks accidents resulting in property damage, injuries, death

In the past three years, there have been 14 boating related fatalities in Iowa, and 94 total boating incidents that are tracked by the DNR. The DNR tracks incidents that involve fatalities, personal injuries and property damage.

Five of the 14 boating fatalities in Iowa in the last three years involved paddle crafts.

The two most common places in Iowa where boating incidents occur are the Mississippi River, where there have been 13 incidents in three years, and West Okoboji Lake, where there have been 12 incidents.

Tips for staying safe on the water

The two biggest safety tips that the DNR and law enforcement agencies give to boaters are to always wear a life jacket, and not to drink alcohol while on the water.

“Alcohol, it reduces your reactionary time,” Stocker said. “You have your environmental stresses when you’re out on the water, before you even introduce alcohol. You’ve got the sun. You’ve got the glare. You’ve got the heat. You’ve got dehydration — even though people are surrounded by water, they often forget to drink any water. So, all of those environmental elements play a factor before you even introduce alcohol. Once you introduce alcohol, then your reactionary time of course gets slower.”

There were seven boating fatalities last year in Iowa, four of which involved alcohol. Four out of the 17 personal injury accidents last year involved alcohol, and one of the 22 reported property damage incidents involved alcohol. Stocker cautions that the property damage data may be under reported because people often don’t report crashes that only involve one boat, especially if there was alcohol involved.

There were 27 boating while intoxicated convictions in Iowa last year, down from 34 in 2022 and 31 in 2021.

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“Driving a boat requires making good decisions and being aware of all surroundings, including your passengers, other boaters, and other water sports participants. Driving a boat while intoxicated will impair all these decisions, so having a sober driver is imperative for water safety,” said Alissa Schuerer, public safety officer for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Johnson County Sheriff’s Office deputies regularly patrol Coralville Lake and Lake Macbride during the summer, starting after Memorial Day. Schuerer said the main goal of the patrols is to be visible to people on the water, which encourages them to follow safety tips like wearing life jackets and avoiding alcohol.

“If we make contact with a water motorist we can take the time to conduct a safety check of items required to be on your boat. Deputies are looking to prevent any future accidents, so reminding occupants about life vests and other rules of the waterway will hopefully leave a lasting impact on their future water travel,” Schuerer said.

Schuerer also recommended that boaters make sure they are familiar with their boat and all of their equipment before taking to the water. Stocker agreed, adding that taking a boating safety course can enhance the level of awareness, even for people who are familiar with water recreation.

“You may have been boating all your life, but you can be proactive for the … new people that continue to be out on the water. So, you can be proactive if they're not as knowledgeable. The other thing is you might get a reduction in insurance rates by taking a boater safety course,” Stocker said.

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