Get rewarded for making safe boating choices this summer
Ameren Missouri teams up with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to promote life jacket use and general boating safety at Lake of the Ozarks
Throughout the summer, kids ages 7 and under caught wearing their life jackets when on the water at Lake of the Ozarks could receive a free T-shirt. The giveaway runs until the end of the summer, thanks to a partnership between Ameren Missouri and the Missouri State Highway Patrol's (MSHP) Water Patrol Division to raise awareness about water safety.
Members of MSHP’s Water Patrol Division work to keep boaters safe at the Lake of the Ozarks.
"We want to make sure everyone is prepared to have a safe and fun season as we welcome people back to the lake,” said Captain Mike Petlansky, division director of MSHP's Water Patrol Division. “Wearing a properly fitted life jacket is one of the simplest ways for children – as well as adults – to enjoy the lake safely.”
Data from the U.S. Coast Guard show that people who fail to wear a life vest are at increased risk of death during a boating accident. In 2022, the Coast Guard counted 636 fatal boating accidents. Where cause of death was known, 75 percent of fatal boating accident victims had drowned, and 85 percent of those drowning victims had not been wearing a life jacket.
Boaters of all ages should wear life jackets for any water activities, regardless of their swimming abilities.
“No one is immune from boating and drowning accidents, regardless of swimming ability,” said Bryan Vance, supervisor of shoreline management at Ameren Missouri. “Giving away T-shirts is a simple, visual way to remind everyone to wear a life jacket any time you are in a boat or on the water.”
People of all ages should wear life jackets for any water activities. There are U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket styles available for cruising, paddling, fishing and water sports. Today’s life jackets come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and ensuring a proper fit is essential. Life jackets that are too big may push up around your face, which could be dangerous, and life jackets that are too small may not be able to keep your body afloat.
In addition to wearing life jackets on the water, people should practice safety around docks and the shoreline. For Ameren Missouri’s updated report on Lake of the Ozarks water levels, please call 573.365.9205 or visit AmerenMissouri.com/Lake for hourly Lake of the Ozarks water level information.