Being first on the ice doesn't always work the way it was intended to. We've already had a couple drownings this year because the un-wise push getting out too soon to far. No ice is safe. Period. A few years ago there was a picture of a line of pick-ups sunk along a shoreline on a Twin Cities Metro Lake. The must have been 6 or 8 with water right up half way on the windows. There was a parking lot 50 feet back from where they were parked. Lazy saps didn't want to park and have to haul uphill when leaving and it was a very shallow grade to go up. I think there was only 8 or 10 inches of ice where they were parked. For a single pick-up 12" of ice is needed. For those that need to be first having stones isn't a requirement, but having an IQ on th top side of negative numbers certainly is.