Prince George, B.C. – Be safe if you plan on heading out on the water this Labour Day long weekend.

That from the BC Coroners Service who are urging everyone in small vessels to wear a properly fitted personal flotation device (PFD).

The Coroners Service have sent out the reminder in light of two tragedies this week in this province.

“Both persons were in small boats,” reads a news release. “In one case, the person fell overboard. In the other, the boat capsized. Neither person was wearing a PFD. Neither survived.”

In at least one case, the Coroners Service says PFDs were aboard the boat but not being worn by the occupants.

“A study from Washington State showed that the chance of someone dying in a boating accident were 2.6 times higher if they were not wearing a PFD,” says the Coroners Service. “Another study from Alaska showed that of all those who died in recreational boating accidents, only 17% were wearing a PFD.”

Statistics from the Coroners Service show that boating is the most common context in which drowning occurs in B.C. In 2015 for instance, 36% of all accidental drowning deaths (25 from a total of 70) involved someone who was boating.

The Coroners Service add its best to avoid mixing alcohol with any recreational activities. It notes a study published in the journal, Injury Prevention, suggests that someone with a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 has about 10 times the risk of drowning while boating, and that having even a small amount of alcohol in your system can increase the risk.