With Memorial Day weekend upon us, the outdoor recreation of summer is about to get into full force.
Hardly anything is better than loading a boat full of friends and heading to one of Missouri's magnificent reservoirs or rivers for a relaxing day of fun in the sun on the water. Just be sure to stay safe and use caution.
Everyone wants you to have fun enjoying the great water resources of our state, including the Water Patrol Division of the Highway Patrol. Law enforcement want you and the people around you to remain safe, so you can expect officers to be patrolling the reservoirs and rivers making sure users are in compliance with the law.
There are many laws that come with being a responsible boater. One of the most important is not operating a motorboat while intoxicated. It's easy to drink too much on a hot summer day when you're out having fun and swimming, without realizing you've consumed more than the legal limit. If you plan on drinking, make sure there is someone with you who isn't drinking that is legally capable of operating the watercraft. Otherwise, your fun day outside could turn into a horrible night in jail.
Aside from not operating a motorboat under the influence of alcohol, there are other important laws you must follow when taking to Missouri's waterways. Obey marker buoys and idle zone restriction areas, use navigational lights and anchor lights between sunset and sunrise and obey the speed limits.
There were 17 boating fatalities in 2013 in Missouri. A number of these fatalities were the result of drowning. A life jacket would have saved some of these unfortunate folks. With a little care and caution, Missouri could see a greatly reduced number of boating related fatalities in 2014. Reducing this number will be easy to do if more boaters will simply wear a life jacket.
Accidents on the water often happen too fast to reach and put on a life jacket that is stowed away. To really be safe, you need to be wearing your life jacket, especially when the watercraft is moving. If you have children in your boat, you should really consider keeping a life jacket on them at all times.
In Missouri, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1984 must have a Boater Education Card to legally operate a boat.
The state has resources to help you be a safer boater, available online at boat-ed.com/missouri/handbook. Hard copies are available at most marinas.
See you down the trail ...
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Brandon Butler is an outdoors columnist for the News Tribune. Contact him at [email protected].