A recent incident at Utah Lake highlights the importance of wearing a life jacket. Seven people were rescued from their sinking boat with the help of bystanders, emergency responders and a drone operator. Fortunately, they were all wearing life jackets and are okay, but that isn’t always the case.

In the most recent USCG boating statistics, 3 out of every 4 boaters who died in a boating accident drowned and of those deaths, 87% were not wearing a life jacket. Many of these people considered themselves long-term boaters who knew how to swim, but if knocked unconscious when entering the water, it can be impossible to swim. You wouldn’t try to put a seatbelt on in the middle of a car crash. Likewise, it is not possible to try to put on a life jacket when you are in the middle of a boating emergency.

When going out on the water, ensure everyone on board has a life jacket that fits properly. If you need to borrow one, check out the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Stations. You never know just how life saving it could be.

Gail Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation