Richland County Sheriff Deputies Review Boat Safety Tips

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) -Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s Marine Patrol Unit says speeding is one of the leading causes of boating accidents. Deputy Stephen Perrow says appropriate speeds are circumstantial.

Other deadly boating causes include recklessness and inexperienced driving. Perrow says drivers must look out for one another on the water just as they do on the roads.

Drinking while boating also may also cause issues on the lake. Deputies say they try to monitor alcohol usage by performing compliance checks. “Just a safety check of their boat reveals that they’ve had too much to drink. Some times, we’ll get complaints from other boaters that are able to put us in area they where there’s someone they think may too intoxicated to be driving a boat,” said Perrow.

“If you have 10 people on your boat, make sure you have 10 vest to accommodate those 10 people. Also make sure you have vessels that will accommodate the youth as well,” said Master Deputy Derek Williams.
Deputies say an increased amount of law enforcement will be on the water to supervise activity this weekend.