It is National Safe Boating Week. With the holiday weekend approaching, local agencies want to make sure you are staying safe on the water.
Florida Fish and wildlife expects this Memorial Day weekend to be the busiest Sarasota has ever seen. With hundreds of new boaters and lots of congestion, it is extremely important to make sure you’re taking all the right safety measures.
“This past year we’ve broken the one million registered vessel landmark here, this is the most registered vessels in the nation, here in Florida,” said Adam Brown with Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Officers say distracted driving causes more than 50% of boating accidents.
“You need to make sure as the operator your focus is ahead of you, to the side of you, and behind you at all times, keeping that 360 degree awareness,” said Brown.
“Be attentive to what you're doing, put the cell phone down, if you drop something have someone else pick it up for you. When we ask the operator what happened, they usually tell us they were distracted by something,” said Michael Skinner, Sarasota Police Department.
If someone falls off the boat while its moving, there are important steps you should immediately take.
"Shut your engine off to make sure they are not going anywhere near that prop. Number two make sure you are getting them a life jacket or a throw cushion or throw ring, something that will keep them above the surface,” said Brown.
Having an emergency cut off switch could save a life. You simply wear it around your wrist and if you were to fall off the boat, the engine would immediately shut off.
“This is the first line of defense if someone was to leave the vessel voluntarily or involuntarily. Just with a press of a button it immediately shuts off the engine you don’t have to be near the ignition switch to shut it off, you can be anywhere on the boat,” said Skinner.
All local agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard say they will be out in heavy force this weekend. Their number one priority is keeping boaters on the Suncoast safe.
“With the congestion that we’ll see this weekend, we just ask the boaters enjoy yourself, be safe, and slow down, there’s no rush to get anywhere fast,” said Skinner.
It’s important to remember that Florida law requires you to have a life jacket for everyone on board. And don’t forget to bring all your trash back to shore! We want to keep all our marine life safe and away from plastic.
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