Reposted from the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Utah is a premier destination for outdoor recreation, offering everything from fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir to whitewater rafting on the Green and Colorado rivers. These water-borne activities can be enjoyed safely, but the risks are real: Utah sees roughly 30 preventable drownings each year, and in summer 2026 alone, eight preventable drownings occurred in the state’s waterways.

Seeking to better understand the uptick in drownings, Tabitha M. Benney, University of Utah professor and associate director in the School of Public Affairs, teamed up with the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation (DOR) to study the use of life jackets, technically known as personal flotation devices, or PFDs.

“One dad too many”

“Realizing that many drowning deaths in Utah are preventable was a huge shock to me,” said Benney, the principal investigator on the study. “Especially when you realize they are mostly men and people with families—it hits hard.” Nationwide, the drowning rate for males nearly triples at age 15, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance; it’s the third leading cause of death for males ages 15 to 24 and remains in the top four causes of unintentional deaths until age 55.

And in Utah, more than 90% of boating-related drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket. The most effective way to prevent drownings is to wear a properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket, so the U and DOR designed a multi-stage campaign to boost life jacket use among Utahns.

“One preventable death is just too many,” Benney said. “And this summer we have far surpassed previous years in just a few months. That is one dad too many.”

Life jacket behavior survey

The first stage is underway with a statewide Life Jacket Behavior Survey that gathers anonymous information, such as age, gender, political leanings and geographical location, to identify trends in life jacket behavior. Through the end of the year, water-loving Utah residents 18 and older can fill out the survey and help shape the future of boating safety in Utah. “Research that impacts our local community is a priority for me,” Benney said. “Especially if it leads to evidence-based policy outcomes. Changing behavior is hard—even when people want to change, but sometimes we need good legislation to give us the confidence and guidance we need to make that change.”

As they formulated survey questions, Benney and her graduate student Justin Hobbs were often shocked at what they learned. “That is what led to the teaching and learning section within the survey,” Benney said. “We felt it was critical to educate on the most common misperceptions within the survey because it could literally save someone’s life.”

For example, they were unaware that different U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets have different performance characteristics. Not every model is designed to turn an unconscious person face-up. In a boating accident, people can get knocked unconscious, and without a PFD designed in this way, they can drown before rescuers can reach them. The survey also details the different types of PFDs so people can identify the right one for their preferred waterways and explains the correct way for adults and children to wear life jackets.

Messaging campaign for most-at-risk groups

Since men 18 and older are the most at risk of drowning, researchers and state officials sought out a social media partner who could speak directly to these groups. Drew Billington, an avid outdoorsman and self-described safety nut with personal expertise in boating, will be creating videos to promote life jacket use. One video will show adults and kids jumping into the water wearing different types of life jackets so viewers can understand how they work. Another will show people of different ages treading water for 10 or more minutes. “Everyone thinks it’s easy,” Benney noted, “until you have to do it.”

Results from both the survey and the messaging campaign will be included in reports published by DOR at the end of the year. When Benney initially sought information about drownings in Utah, she couldn’t find it. So these reports will be one of the study’s key accomplishments.

“Because of this project, [DOR has] actually been collecting historical data so they can start to publish it on their website,” Benney said. “They also will start publishing a boating fatalities report similar to the avalanche reports that come out in winter.” The hope is that people will be able to see what factors came together to lead to a drowning death and understand how it could have been prevented. This will help researchers and future water users alike learn from the circumstances surrounding these incidents.

Complete the Life Jacket Behavior Survey online; it is available through December 2026.

For more information about boating safety and life jacket requirements, visit the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation’s boating webpage.

• Brian Maffly Science writer, University of Utah Communications
  801-573-2382 brian.maffly@utah.edu