Power for Progress…A weekly column from the Grand River Dam Authority Water safety always starts with a life jacket

The Grand River Dam Authority understands that being a good steward of the natural resources under its control also means helping educate and support all those who utilize those resources.

Because of that, the GRDA Police Department has made life jacket education and awareness a major part of its efforts for several decades now. On the water, in the classroom, at special events, from inside its booth at a boat show and about anywhere else that an audience can listen and learn, you can find GRDA officers promoting the benefits of life jackets.

And it is a message that needs to be told. According to statistics from the latest Life Jacket Wear Rate Observation Study (2025), released by the United States Coast Guard, life jacket wear rates have been on the decline. The study found that in 2024, 21.9 percent of boaters wore life jackets, while in 2014 the number was 24 percent. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics found that a full 87 percent of individuals who died in nationwide boating accidents that year were not wearing life jackets.

There is plenty of room for improvement.

If you are going to be on lakes or rivers, the GRDA Police encourage you to ALWAYS wear your life jacket. If you are heading to the water in the near future, please keep these tips in mind:

• Buy your own personal life jacket. One size DOES NOT fit all.

• Look at the label. It will provide the weight, size, and proper use information.

• Try it on to check the fit. Once the straps and buckles are secured, it should not slip over your head or come down above your ears.

• Never use water toys in place of an approved life jacket.

• Check your life jacket year for flotation and fit.

• Finally, wear your life jacket to increase your chance of survival in an accident and to set a good example for others

Your friends at GRDA want you to have a safe, enjoyable time on the water. That always starts with wearing your life jacket.

GRDA is Oklahoma’s largest public power electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: employees, electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, and efficiency.

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