Arkansas game wardens logged thousands of hours over the Independence Day weekend in a heightened effort to enforce boating safety laws, resulting in fewer arrests but still highlighting the dangers of not wearing life jackets.
According to Sgt. Sydney Grant, Boating Law Administrator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), 118 game wardens patrolled waterways across the state from July 4-6, dedicating more than 2,474 hours to the enforcement detailone of the agencys busiest annual operations.
Wardens conducted safety checks on 1,897 vessels and made more than 6,700 boater contacts. The operation resulted in 140 citations and 353 warnings, mostly related to life jacket violations.
While the number of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) arrests dropped significantlyfrom 23 in 2024 to 10 this yearGrant stressed that any BUI is one too many.
“Its nice to see that number drop, but our goal is really to get those arrests and tickets down to zero,” Grant said. “Until then, we can always improve on our efforts to keep boaters safe.”
Despite the enforcement push, six boating accidents were reported during the weekend, including two fatalities, both of which occurred on Lake Ouachita. While investigations are ongoing, early findings suggest that neither victim was wearing a life jacket.
“Its a sad truth we deal with in boating enforcement,” Grant said. “The vast majority of fatalities recorded from boating accidents could have been avoided if the victim were wearing a properly fitted, functional life jacket.”
The AGFC continues to encourage all boaters to wear life jackets and practice sober, responsible boating as part of its mission to reduce accidents on Arkansas waterways.
For more information on boating safety, visit www.agfc.com.
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