OSWEGO -- Before you head out on the water this holiday weekend, the Coast Guard wants to remind you to take a minute to be safe.
Petty Officer First Class, Jaden Sprague, Executive Officer with the Coast Guard's Oswego station says the number one problem they deal with is boaters drinking out on the water. " We deal with it all the time. On a daily basis, we encounter people who have been drinking," he says. Petty Officer Sprague says a third of all boating accidents involve alcohol. The Coast Guard is determined to keep boaters from drinking out on the water and if you think they can't arrest someone who has been drinking while boating, Petty Officer Sprague says think again. "Absolutely we can arrest people and we will."
The Coast Guard says one of the easiest things boaters can do to stay safe on the water is to wear a life preserver. Of the more than 750 people killed in boating accidents last year, more than half were not wearing a life jacket. Petty Officer Sprague says, one thing twelve years in Coast Guard has taught him, is the importance of wearing a life preserver at all times. " Based on the situations I've seen..things I have seen happen, I absolutely will wear a life jacket all the time no questions about it," he says.
Having flares and other tracking devices onboard is also a good idea, as is being sure to follow a float plan so someone onshore knows exactly where you are going and when you will be back.
Just a few simple steps the Coast Guard says will help make sure you have a happy and safe time on the water this holiday weekend.
