The Arizona Game and Fish Department will be out across the state this week to encourage boaters to keep safe by wearing life jackets.
State law requires children under 12 in Arizona to wear life jackets on boats, but the Game and Fish Department recommends life jackets for everyone.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports about 87% of those who drowned in recreational boating accidents in 2024 were not wearing life jackets.
“A life jacket does exactly what it says — it saves your life when you need it,” Danny Rodriguez, AZGFD’s watercraft law enforcement program coordinator, said in a press release. “However, it can only save your life if you’re wearing one, and often it’s too late to put one on once you realize you need it.”
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and partner agencies will host life jacket exchange events at six boating areas across the state Saturday and will offer two more events on May 23 and June 12.
Anyone with an old, worn out or improperly fitting life jacket can exchange it for a new one while supplies last.
Life jacket exchange events
Saturday, May 16:
- London Bridge Beach, 1340 McCulloch Blvd., Lake Havasu City, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- La Paz County Sheriff's Office, 8484 Riverside Drive, Parker, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Fishers Landing Resort, 10882 Fishers Landing Road, Martinez Lake, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- 10-lane boat ramp, Lake Pleasant, 7:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Saguaro Lake boat ramp, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Canyon Lake boat ramp, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Saturday, May 23:
- Patagonia Lake, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Friday, June 12:
- Rotary Park, 2315 Balboa Drive, Bullhead City, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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