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May 24, 2012

Lake enthusiasts reminded of safety going into holiday

The countdown to Memorial Day Weekend 2012 is under way. Not only does the holiday weekend mark the traditional beginning of the summer boating season on Grand and Hudson, but also it will be one of the busiest weekends on the lakes.

As thousands of boaters and lake enthusiasts return to the waters, the Grand River Dam Authority Police Department is taking the opportunity to remind them to “Boat Safe, Boat Smart and Boat Sober” all summer long.

Of course, safe boating begins with proper life jacket usage, and that is a message GRDA promotes year round. Starting this weekend, GRDA officers will renew the annual “I Got Caught” campaign on Grand and Hudson. They will be looking for boaters who are doing the right thing by wearing life jackets on the water. If those boaters are “caught,” the reward will be a T-shirt, courtesy of the GRDA Police Department.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4 years, while 10 people die every day on average from drowning situations, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Larry Norman, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Marine Enforcement Division trooper,  said the fatal scenario could be “anywhere from jumping off cliffs like at Lake Tenkiller to inattentiveness around the swimming areas.”

“At a lot of the swimming areas, the bottoms can get slick due to the heat,” he said. “Children can venture out too far and slip and lose their footing.”

He also mentioned the patrol’s focus this weekend. “Mainly on our patrol efforts, we’ll be looking for moving violations and safety equipment violations,” said Norman.

“A moving violation could be standing in a vessel when the vessel is moving or traveling above idle speed. We do watch the no-wake zones, and some of the buoys have a speed limit sign on them for 5 mph on them. A [slow, no-wake speed is a] speed that’s relative to being able to control your steering, but it doesn’t produce wakes coming out from the side of the boat.”

Norman also discussed distance rules for boats.

“There are basically two,” he said. “If you’re sitting still in the water, the law requires you (vessels in motion and in proximity must) stay 150 feet away from the resting vessel. If two vessels are moving together, then it’s a 50-foot rule, but anyone who becomes stationary — or, say you come up on a boat that may be fishing – you have to stay 150 feet away.”

“Mainly on our patrol efforts, we’ll be looking for moving violations and safety equipment violations,” said Norman.

“A moving violation could be standing in a vessel when the vessel is moving or traveling above idle speed. We do watch the no-wake zones, and some of the buoys have a speed limit sign on them for 5 mph on them. A [slow, no-wake speed is a] speed that’s relative to being able to control your steering, but it doesn’t produce wakes coming out from the side of the boat.”

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