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Corps of Engineers Column

Refresh Your Boating Safety Skills with Many Options
by Ginger Bjornson, Park Ranger

Summer is in full swing and what better time to brush up on boating safety? From reminders to wear life jackets to having your boat voluntarily inspected for proper safety equipment, there are many chances to make this season a safe one for you, your family and friends.

Wear a life jacket

Life jacket wear is critical to surviving a boating accident. Nine out of 10 drowning victims were not wearing life jackets. This single device may make the difference between life and death for anyone experiencing an emergency on the water.

Put it on before leaving the dock and keep it on. Be sure it is properly fitted, in good condition, and securely fastened. Children under age 10 are required by law to wear a life jacket while on board a moving boat (unless the child is in a fully enclosed cabin).

About 70 percent of boaters involved in accidents have never taken a safe boating course and 85 percent of all boating accident fatalities nationwide were due to sudden, unexpected capsizing or falls overboard. We know that education and awareness are the best weapons in preventing boating accidents. “Safe Boating is No Accident!” Here are some boating safety tips to help you start our right and complete your journey safely.

Take a boating safety course

Brush up on your boating safety knowledge. There are three easy ways for boat operators to take a course in Georgia – in a classroom, on the internet at www.boat-ed.com or through a home study course that can be ordered either on the internet at www.boat-ed.com or by calling 1-800-460-9698. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 22 offers hands-on classroom boating safety courses; you can check out their schedule at www.boatingclasses@usa.com.

Know the laws

There are no “driving lanes” on the water, so boaters need to be know the “Rules of the Road,” from knowing who has the right-of-way, understanding waterway markers and being  knowledgeable about safe boating speeds based on traffic, weather, and maneuverability.

Georgia boating laws require that you adhere to the 100- foot rule. The 100-foot rule prohibits people from operating all vessels, including personal watercraft (PWC), at a speed greater than idle speed within 100 feet of any vessel that is moored, anchored, or adrift outside normal traffic channels, or within 100 feet of any dock, wharf, pier, piling, bridge structure, person in the water or shoreline adjacent to a full-time or part-time residence, public park, public beach, public swimming area, marina, restaurant, or other public use area.

Don’t drink and operate a boat

Half of all boating fatalities involve alcohol. Research has shown that four hours in a boat on the water being exposed to noise, vibration sun, glare, wind and other motion on the water produces a boater’s hypnosis” or fatigue. It slows reaction time as much as if you were legally drunk. Adding alcohol to boating stress factors intensifies their effects. Think before you take that drink.

Get a vessel safety inspection

When you are out on the water, you want to have fun. And you can put your mind at ease by getting a vessel safety check to assure that you have the proper safety equipment and are familiar with safe boating guidelines.

Vessel safety inspections are voluntary and free and can be done by a certified inspector with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Two vessel safety check events are scheduled at Blockhouse Ramp on Allatoona Lake: Friday, July 4, from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturday, August 30, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Here are some of the questions that will be answered if you have a vessel safety inspection:

• Is your boat in top operating condition?

• Is all required safety equipment on board and in good condition?

• Is your safety equipment readily accessible?

• Do you know how to properly use your equipment?

• Is there a life jacket on board for you and every passenger that is properly fitted, in good condition and US Coast Guard approved?

The US Coast Guard Auxiliary does these checks as part of its boating safety awareness campaign. If the dates above do not work for you, please contact Pat Lindsey with the U.S. Coast Auxiliary at 678-793-6958 or at patbylind@yahoo.com.

 This column is provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers at the Allatoona Lake project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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