The Memorial Day holiday weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and the Twin Lakes Area will see an increase in traffic on the local waterways. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says safety should be a top priority for anyone spending time on a boat or another vessel, and Wildlife Officer Corporal Doug Small is offering some boating tips to assure residents and tourists have a safe but fun experience on the lakes and rivers.
Corporal Small says everyone on board must have a wearable properly-fitted personal floatation device (PFD), for example a life jacket, readily accessible on the boat. He adds it cannot be locked up in a compartment, or if it was recently purchased, it needs to be removed from its plastic or any other container. Corporal Small adds wearing the PFD is mandatory for children ages 12-and-under while the boat is on the water unless they’re in the confined areas of a houseboat or a pontoon with the gates closed.
Another tip offered by Game and Fish concerns the consumption of alcohol on a boat or vessel. There are no open container laws for the water, and drinking is allowed for anyone ages 21-and-older, but a designated driver needs to be on board of the vessel. Corporal Small says a law was passed nearly two years ago stating a boating while intoxicated (BWI) citation is the same penalty on driver’s licenses as driving while intoxicated (DWI), and anyone cited for BWI could lose their privileges on the highway.
Proper seating as the boat is traveling on the waterway is also essential. Corporal Small says once the vessel begins to move, everyone including the driver needs to be in their seats. He adds sitting in other areas including the rear deck and the bow is illegal and unsafe.
The final tip Corporal Small offers is be an attentive, defensive driver. He says the top cause of boating accidents is operater inattention. An example Corporal Small gives is a driver could be turning around and talking with a passenger on the boat, and another boat could be approaching on the waterway with its operator doing the same thing. Corporal Small says paying attention to one’s surrounding can help to avoid accidents.
Corporal Small says anyone with a boating emergency can call 9-1-1 or a local law enforcement agency. For additional questions, contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission dispatch office in Mayflower at 1-800-482-9262.
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