The United States Coast Guard is warning boaters and paddlers to use common sense and refrain from drinking alcohol during the upcoming holiday weekend.

Al Johnson, a Coast Guard recreational boating specialist, said 38 people have died on July 4 over the last decade, making it the deadliest boating holiday in the Northeast region, which includes all the New England states, plus sections of New York and New Jersey.

Alcohol has been involved in 16 of those fatalities, Johnson said.