Archive for Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Law: Boats need floats
Easy life jacket access required
Don and Chris Gilmore, of Merriam, drive off in their boat Tuesday morning on Clinton Lake with their life jackets on. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is making an increased effort to enforce the law that requires life jackets to be accessible while on a boat after an increase in boating accident deaths the last couple of years.
May 21, 2008
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Do you always wear a life jacket when you’re on a boat?
Absolutely. We just bought a boat in November, and we have about 13 life jackets on board.
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If you are going out on a boat this Memorial Day weekend, you better have a life jacket readily accessible.
That’s the law, and officers from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will not be giving any warnings this season. The ticket books are coming out.
“We are, in effect, taking a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to life jacket or personal floatation device laws,” KDWP natural resources officer Aaron Henrichs said.
Last winter, KDWP boating law administrator Dan Hesket issued a directive to officers to write the tickets because of the number of boating accidents and fatalities in the state in recent years.
Officers frequently check boats and find that while life jackets may be aboard, they often are stowed. The law doesn’t require a person to wear one, but it has to be accessible.
“In a given day, if I check 10 boaters, eight would have life jackets stowed and not accessible,” Henrichs, who works in Douglas County, said.
In addition to boating accidents, there were nine drownings last year in Kansas waters, Henrichs said. One of them occurred at Clinton Lake when a swimmer drowned.
In 2007, statewide boating accidents were actually down. There were 26 in 2007 and 42 in 2006. But fatalities in boating accidents have been increasing — from two in 2004 to six in 2007.
Damage from Kansas boating accidents in 2007 amounted to $82,550. About half of that amount was the result of a fire that sank a houseboat on Clinton Lake.
Clinton Lake was the site of three boating accidents in 2007, but there were no injuries.
Last weekend at Clinton Lake, four tickets were issued because children were not wearing life jackets. The law requires children to wear life jackets at all times. Tickets are issued to the parents. Boat owners are issued tickets for each life jacket that is not accessible to adults. Fines are $50 for the first inaccessible jacket and $25 for each additional jacket. Court costs are $66.
A boat at Clinton Marina recently was prevented from going out on the water when it was determined that there were only three life jackets aboard for eight people, Henrichs said.
“We wouldn’t let them get on the boat until they found additional life jackets,” he said.
Seat cushions can be used as floatation devices, but cushions and jackets must have a label showing they have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, Henrichs said. They are the equivalent of seat belts in a car, he said.
“If you are thrown from a boat, you will hit as hard as if on pavement,” he said. “If you are unconscious you will drown, not lay there until an ambulance arrives.”
Water accidents and deaths in area
Kansas boating fatalities
2007: 6
2006: 5
2005: 4
2004: 2
Clinton Lake
2007: Three boating accidents involving three boats; no fatalities and no injuries. One swimmer drowned at Clinton Lake.
Perry Lake
2007: Four boating accidents involving seven boats; one fatality, one injury.
Kansas River
2007: Two boating accidents in the northeast region involving three boats; three fatalities. None in Douglas County.
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21 May 2008 at 6:05 a.m.
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SettingTheRecordStraight (Anonymous) says…
Thanks, government. Thanks for protecting me from myself. Thanks for getting even more involved in my life.
21 May 2008 at 7:34 a.m.
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speedykitty (Anonymous) says…
Unless you also say not to bother calling for rescue if your boat is upside down in the lake, your independent attitude doesn't “hold water”. Millions of dollars are spent by agencies trying to save people from their foolishness, whether in flooding waters, no life jackets, mountain climbing at inappropriate times, etc. The same goes for motorcycle helmets and vehicle seat belts. No man is an island……
21 May 2008 at 8:10 a.m.
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KURocks (Anonymous) says…
It sure would be nice if somewhere in the article they would define readily accesssible. Does it have to be next to you, visible, or what?. I can't wait to see Barney Fife on the water this weekend enforcing their new directive.
21 May 2008 at 8:11 a.m.
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characteristic (Anonymous) says…
“‘If you are thrown from a boat, you will hit as hard as if on pavement,’ he said.”
Perhaps, then, seatbelts, helmets, duck tape, bubble wrap, prescribed medications, etc. should be readily accessible as well. (This is not just for safety of the boaters but also for those who dare to venture out of the house.) Offenders without these and other items should be fined.
21 May 2008 at 8:12 a.m.
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BuddhaDude (Anonymous) says…
It seems to me that the term “easily accessable” leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Do they have to be laying out in the open on the deck or can they be stored under a lift-up seat? What may be good for one officer might not for the next. If it is written out somewhere, let the people know.
21 May 2008 at 8:58 a.m.
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hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…
Just waiting for the day where we read that the KU girls rowing team has a drowning. College educated idjits not wearing life jackets while rowing on the river, the local river where drowings are common.
21 May 2008 at 9 a.m.
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KURocks (Anonymous) says…
I went to the KDWP web site to see the definition of readily accessible. It stated life jackets and a throwing device need to be plainly visible and can be reached without opening a compartment. Sounds to me that if you have people in different parts of the boat, then you need to have a life jacket within reach of them. Better get with the program, or these rent-a-cops will be writing tickets left and right.
21 May 2008 at 9:27 a.m.
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Toto12 (Anonymous) says…
I don't think I would characterize the KDWP officers as rent-a-cops. These guys are well trained and actually get into the thick of it just as much or more as regular city police officers. Their regular beat involves people out looking for a good time in the wilderness, often drinking and often packing heat. These guys are the real deal, believe me.
21 May 2008 at 10:23 a.m.
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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…
I am of the opinion that anyone who does not wear a life jacket while in any kind of small boat may well be, shall we say, “Intellectually challenged”?
I mean, look at the two recent drowing deaths in the Lawrence area!
In both instances, the life jackets were in the *BOTTOM* of the boats, *NOT* strapped to the occupants!
How complicated can it be?
21 May 2008 at 10:40 a.m.
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mainah (Anonymous) says…
KURocks IS correct. KDWP does use rent-a-cops and they are VERY inconsistant!
21 May 2008 at 10:41 a.m.
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gogoplata (Anonymous) says…
This is just as silly as seat belt and helmet laws. too much Government in our lives. Can we elect people who will get the government out of our lives please?
21 May 2008 at 10:44 a.m.
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ejscheele (Anonymous) says…
Thank goodness we are trying to lower the 6 fatality number from Kansas with outstanding enforcements like life jackets in boats.
It wouldn't make any sense at all to focus our energies to require something like, say for instance, helmets for motorcyles………. where last year, 4,008 motorcycle riders were killed in highway accidents.
Now that is the intelligence of our legislature at work. Shall we all join you as you step back in the time warp along the evolutionary ladder or just wait until your head comes out the other end so you finally see day light?
21 May 2008 at 11:14 a.m.
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JOEHAWK (Anonymous) says…
Rammy,
That kind of remark shows the lack of respect you have for boating and water safety. You should not be allowed on the lake and I expecially wouldn't want you boating near me.
I grew up on a lake and have seen my share of accidents and fatalities. Almost all were caused by lack of respect for the environment they were operating in. Take boating seriously or someone will get hurt.