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With boating season about to kick off, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is urging boaters to double check and make sure that all personal flotation devices on board are U.S. Coast Guard approved before hitting the water.
“Recently there have been more and more non-approved personal flotation devices showing up in the marketplace and now they are being sold at larger retailers where most customers just assume it is an approved version,” said LDWF Lt. Col. Jeff Mayne, the state’s boating law administrator. “We want people to be aware during the purchase to look for the U.S. Coast Guard approval number on the label.”
When purchasing a life jacket, first make sure the flotation device is USCG approved by checking for an approval number, which can usually be found on inside part of the PFD. PFDs are tested for performance in USCG-recognized laboratory, and PFDs that are not USCG-approved are considered illegal and unsafe for boating purposes. Second, boaters must make sure that the life jacket is the proper size for the person who will be wearing it.
“The unapproved personal flotation devices for sale are attractive purchases because they usually cost less than the USCG approved ones,” said Lt. Col. Mayne. “However, those unapproved personal flotation devices would not be considered legal and could potentially put somebody’s life at risk.”
In 2012, there were 23 boating deaths in the state, and, of those deaths, 15 were caused by drowning.
In Louisiana, each person on board a boat must have a USCG-approved PFD, and persons under 16 years of age must wear the life jacket at all times if on board a boat less than 26 feet in length. Also, all occupants on tiller handled boats must wear a life jacket when under way. Tickets for not wearing a USCG approved life jacket may be issued local law enforcement or LDWF, and the fine is $50 or 15 days in jail or both.
So far, local law enforcement, including the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol Division and the local LDWF enforcement office in Thibodaux has not cited anyone for using a non-approved life jacket, but LDWF agents do occasionally encounter boaters wearing work vests provided to those employed in marine-related industries.
“We get a few people wearing work vests, but just because an employer provides it does not mean that it is Coast Guard approved,” said LDWF Capt. Chuck Comeaux. “Before you buy a life jacket, make sure that it is Coast Guard approved.”
“I spoke to our water patrol captain, and we don’t have any pending cases (of boaters cited for wearing unapproved life jackets),” said Maj. Malcolm Wolfe with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Department. “It’s not a problem here.”
While the non-USGC approved PFD’s are reportedly popping up a big box retailers, Barry Songy, owner of Songy’s Sporting Goods in Houma, sells only USCG approved life jackets at his store.
“We stock life jackets year-round, and it’s getting to the busy time of year, when people are going to be out on the water,” Songy said. “People are buying new boats and coming in here and buying 10 or 12 life jackets.”
The store carries USCG life jackets from Sterns and Onyx in both adult and children’s sizes.
Boaters on Company Canal near Lockport wake board. Tickets for not wearing a USCG approved life jacket may be issued local law enforcement or LDWF, and the fine is $50 or 15 days in jail or both.
