ARDMORE, OK - With people across Texoma heading out on the road or the water this weekend the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has some tips on how to keep you and your family safe this holiday weekend.

For many the holiday weekend has already started, but what starts out as a good time can quickly turn dangerous or costly if you are not taking the proper safety precautions.

Trooper Marty Grisham of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol says an essential item for both boaters and swimmers is a proper life vest. Every child under the age of 13 must wear a life vest while on a boat, and although not required while swimming, Grisham says 90 percent of drowning accidents involve people who were not wearing a life vest.

Grisham also says many of the citations written during the holiday weekend are due to the lack of proper equipment on the boat, such as a life vest for every person on board and a working fire extinguisher.

"Those are the things that are hazardous to you. If you don't have a life jacket you could possible drown. If the boat catches fire you need something to put it out and so on," Grisham says.

Grisham says you should always keep a close area on children at swim beaches and also be cautious of broken glass and items that could be near the beach.