Taking some time to make sure you have the right life jacket can make the difference between life and death.

According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental death worldwide. In Iowa, every child under the age of 13 must wear a life jacket while on any boat, canoe, kayak and paddleboard at all times. Boating Law Administrator and Education Coordinator for the Iowa DNR Susan Stocker says that it’s also important to make sure your life jacket is well maintained, “Everybody needs to make sure the life jacket fits them properly. If you have it and it doesn’t fit properly, it’s not going to work. So you need to make sure that there are no tears or rips, and that you can clearly read the label. Every life jacket that is a legal life jacket has a U.S. Coast Guard label on it.”

For adults, the Iowa DNR recommends once you have your life jacket on and zipped or buckled up, have somebody else pull up on the shoulders of the life jacket , and if the jacket comes over your nose, it’s not safe.