How ‘belts & jackets’ can keep you safe during summer travel and boating season
Before starting your car for a summer trip or spending time on the water, Georgia public safety officials want you to remember two things:
Always wear a seat belt when traveling on the road, and buckle up that life jacket you should always wear when swimming, boating or riding on a personal watercraft.
The annual Belts & Jackets tour across Georgia, highlighting the importance of travel and boating safety, stopped Thursday at Lake Oliver in Columbus ahead of Memorial Day weekend, considered the unofficial start of the busy summer and boating season.
Representatives from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources led the event. They also visited Lake Lanier in Buford and Lake Blackshear near Cordele.
Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said the goal of the tour is to make sure travelers arrive at their destination safely. Doing so, he said, begins with one simple act:
“Every trip must start with the click of a seatbelt,” Poole said, “and by securing all children under 8 in a child safety seat.”
Poole said the Georgia State Patrol and local law enforcement officers will be on high alert this weekend, looking for violators.
“They would prefer to write a ticket than to tell a family member that they have a loved one that has been killed in a crash.,” he said.
Col. Billy Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, asks people to focus on driving and minimize distractions, especially when it comes to cellphones as distracted driving can result in serious or even fatal consequences.
“Let me be clear,” Hitchens said. “Speed, distraction and impaired driving are leading causes of crashes we see every year. During the 2025 Memorial Day travel period, troopers and CVE officers conducted over 26,000 traffic stops, issued almost 14,000 citations, over 18,000 warnings and made 413 DUI arrests, and we investigated four fatal crashes. We also put 45 commercial vehicles out of service during this period for safety violations.”
The numbers are as sobering for those who enjoy getting out on lakes, rivers and streams.
“In 2025, Georgia saw 66 drownings and 10 boating fatalities,” said Col. Chris Hodge, director of Georgia DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. “And already this year, before Memorial Day weekend has even begun, we’ve experienced 14 drownings and four boating fatalities, including one that just occurred a few weeks ago on the Savannah River in Effingham County.”
“Behind every one of those numbers is a family devastated and heartbroken by the loss of a loved one,” he said. “But I will tell you this: Many of these tragedies were very preventable.”
Hodge suggested several simple actions that can make the difference between a great day on the water and a life-changing, heartbreaking day: Wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket, don’t drive distracted, get educated about boating and the associated laws, and stay sober, he said.
“Last year, our game wardens arrested 243 people for boating under the influence.” he said, “This year, we’ve already made 23 BUI (boating under the influence arrests), and summer hasn’t even started yet. So this is your warning: Boating under the influence will not be tolerated on Georgia waterways.”
Hodge said the takeaway for boaters and drivers is the same.
“Let’s all do our part this weekend and beyond,” he said. “Whether you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle or behind the controls of a boat, put safety first.”
