The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is reminding North Texans to be safe and vigilant on area lakes this Memorial Day weekend.
With more people expected to be out on area lakes, Texas Game Wardens will be out in full force to ensure people are enjoying their time on the water responsibly.
Officials made that very clear during a media ride-along on Lake Lavon this week.
"We're not out here to write people tickets, but the main thing is that everybody gets to go home safe at the end of the day,” said Collin County Game Warden Trent Marker.
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Game wardens will be doing safety inspections on vessels this weekend, checking for things like boat registrations and safety equipment.
They will also be on the lookout for those drinking and driving on the water. Violators could get fined or even lose their driver’s license.
Unfortunately, first responders are preparing for possible drownings, as well.
"When it called upon, the worst part of our job is recovering a drowning victim,” said Marker. "People associate drowning with somebody waving their hands but a lot of drownings most of them are going to be what we call silent drownings. People go under the water and may come up once or may not come up at all. You're not going to always hear somebody calling for help.”
"Most of the drowning victims that I've recovered, after speaking with family and friends, they knew how to swim. But there's other externalities that lead to them swimming – whether they were fully clothed or whether they had had a lot to drink that day. They were dehydrated or maybe they got a leg cramp,” said Marker. "Intoxication plays an issue with a lot of the drowning victims that we recover."
Marker said the first step to drowning prevention on the lakes is life jackets. It is state law to have a life jacket available for every person on board a boat.
According to TPWD, 85% of the fatal boating accident victims who drowned were not wearing a life jacket or personal floatation device.
Before you board the boat, here's a safety checklist to follow:
- Always wear a personal flotation device (PFD) or life jacket.
- Children younger than 13 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFD while underway.
- Use your boat’s ignition safety switch – it’s the law.
- Avoid alcohol while boating as the two can be a dangerous combination.
- Don’t overload your boat.
- Operate at a safe speed.
- Always have a passenger serving as a lookout in addition to the operator.
- Watch out for low-water areas or submerged objects.
- Take a boater education course.
- Leave a float plan with someone you trust.
- Be especially careful on personal watercraft.
If you see a reckless boater, call 911 to report it. Click here for more safety tips.
