For Immediate Release

Date: June 30, 2003

July 4 Boating Safety – Turn On Your Lights

If you plan to use your boat to watch fireworks over the water this Independence Day weekend, the Oregon State Marine Board has some advice. Turn on the lights, but turn off the alcohol.

"It can be a bit crazy," said Clackamas Marine Patrol deputy Doug Olsen. "People's lights don't work or they don't know how or when to use them. When the fireworks are over, all those boats – big and small, lighted or not - converge on the boat ramp in a hurry to get out of the water and head home. There's a real potential for problems."

And if you add alcohol the mix, the problems compound, said Olsen. "We'll be looking for intoxicated operators, and they'll pay a pretty steep price when we catch them. It's best for everyone if you just leave the alcohol at home."

All motorboats are required to show running lights when traveling between sunset and sunrise. Running lights are built in to many motorboats, but not all. Battery-powered clip-on lights are available at most sporting good or boat supply stores.

"These lights will show red to the front-left and green to the front-right, with a 360-degree white light attached at the back of the boat," said Randy Henry, information representative for the Oregon State Marine Board. "The lights not only help other boaters see you but they help other boats know which way you're going. If you see the red light on a boat and it's crossing your path, they have right-of-way so you need to let them cross. If you see green, then they should see your red light and know that you have right-of-way. It's the closest thing to traffic signals out there."

Boaters who rarely use their lights should check them before heading out. "Especially the plug-in white light that goes on the stern of most run-abouts – the contacts corrode so there is no connection. Clean the contacts and apply a light oil, then test them to make sure they work. The bulbs may be corroded, too, so check to make sure they're not coming apart," said Henry.

The fine for boating without proper lighting is $175. The cost of operating while intoxicated is up to $5,000, loss of boating privileges for three years and even jail time.

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