DNR Urges Boating Safety This Holiday Weekend And All Summer Long

Press release from Michigan DNR:

Riding with an operator who has completed an approved boating safety course and wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket are two ways to reduce the risk of recreational boating accidents and drowning. More safety tips are available on the DNR's boating webpage.

Anyone born after June 30, 1996, must have a boating safety certificate to operate a boat. Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1978, who plans to operate a personal watercraft also is required to have a valid boater education safety certificate. The DNR offers boating safety education as an online and traditional classroom course to teach new and experienced boaters about current laws and basic survival skills.

To highlight the importance of life jackets, DNR conservation officers, through a partnership with McDonald's, will be on the lookout this summer for youth appropriately wearing their life jackets. Each child or teen spotted properly wearing a life jacket while on an active vessel could receive a coupon for a free ice cream or apple slices at participating McDonald's locations in Michigan.

Learn more about boating opportunities, safety information and other resources at Michigan.gov/Boating.

This press release was produced by the Michigan DNR. The views expressed here are the author’s own.