Debating wearing a life jacket on water? Here are Idaho’s laws, why you should wear one
A Boise man drowned at Lucky Peak Lake after trying to assist his children in the water. A 63-year-old man went missing and drowned in the Boise River while kayaking. After being found during an Ada County Sheriff’s Office snorkeling exercise, a dive team recovered human remains from the Boise River.
Those incidents are among a tragic trend of drownings in Idaho this summer that also includes a partially-submerged body found along the banks of the Boise River in Eagle earlier this month.
About 33 people die from drowning in Idaho yearly, or 1.71 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.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported 636 fatal boating accidents nationwide in 2022. Where the cause of death was known among those 636 incidents, 75% of fatalities (477) were by drowning and of the 477 who drowned, 85% of those (405) were not wearing a life jacket.
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 shorter 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 around Lucky Peak Reservoir, one in along the Boise River at Barber Park, 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 each.
