Date: August 21, 2001

For Immediate Release

Labor Day Weekend Boating Caution Urged

Marine Patrols will be scouring popular lakes, reservoirs and rivers during the long Labor Day weekend looking for safety violations, excessive use of alcohol and offering assistance where needed. "If the weather is good, we expect boaters to be more concentrated - water bodies with good access could be extremely busy," says Marine Board Director Paul Donheffner. "Alcohol use is especially dangerous on crowded waters. We see more collisions and more accidents in general on these busy weekends."

On average, half of all boating accidents are alcohol related. As of August 21, Marine Patrol officers had arrested nearly 140 people in Oregon for Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants. "These people face serious charges - up to $5000 in fines and three years loss of boating privileges," warned Donheffner. The number of arrests is down this year, likely due to low water and fewer people boating in some of the state’s most popular waters in the Rogue and Willamette river basins. Officers arrested a near-record 258 boaters for BUII in 2000.

So far this year, 10 people have died in boating accidents, a rate that is about average when compared to previous years. One notable difference is the number of fatalities attributed to non-motorized boats, such as canoes, kayaks, rafts and driftboats. "We saw this trend in early June and it continues to concern us. Eight of this year’s 10 fatalities have involved non-motorized craft - that’s a very high number," said Donheffner. "It could reflect the growing use of these craft by unskilled, unprepared users. Also, most of this year’s boating fatalities would have been avoided if the victims had been wearing a life jacket. That’s a message that all boaters should hear."

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