Do I have to wear a life jacket? What Idaho law says about staying safe in the water
A Boise man drowned at Lucky Peak State Park after falling off his paddleboard. A man from Lewiston got swept downstream after trying to save a dog on the Salmon River. A 57-year-old man was recovered by a dive team after drowning in Palisades Reservoir.
Those incidents are among a tragic trend of drownings in Idaho this summer that also include a 14-year-old boy who died in the Spokane River in North Idaho and a rafter who lost his life along the Payette River in June.
Of all those instances, only the man from Lewiston was reported to have been wearing a life jacket.
About 34 people die from drowning in Idaho every year, or 1.74 per 100,000 people in the state. That ranks Idaho as the ninth-deadliest state for drowning deaths per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that of 613 fatal boating accidents nationwide it recorded in 2019, 79% included someone drowning, and 86% of those people were not wearing a life jacket. That comes out to more than 410 people.
Idaho life jacket laws
Idaho has defined laws on life jackets, primarily that children ages 14 and younger are required to wear a life jacket on boats that are 19 feet or smaller. The state also recommends that everyone wear a life jacket when on the water, regardless of age.
It is also required by law that individuals wear a life jacket when operating a personal watercraft such as a jet ski or when being pulled behind a vessel, such as going tubing or water skiing, regardless of age.
Boats less than 16 feet, and canoes and kayaks of any length must have at least one type of life jacket for each person on board. The Coast Guard provides an online brochure of the different kinds of approved life jackets.
Where can you get a life jacket in Boise?
Idaho State Parks and Recreation provides life jacket stations around the state that offer free loaners for a day if you forget yours.
There are six in the Boise area: four in Southeast Boise along the Boise River and Lucky Peak Reservoir, one in Eagle at Eagle Island Pond, and one east of the city at Macks Creek.
Life jackets can also be purchased from Boise-area Walmarts, Cabela’s, and DICK’S Sporting Goods for less than $40.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
