State warns boaters to stay safe
State officials are urging boaters to stay safe, as Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer.
DNR Boat and Water Safety Specialist Tim Smalley said people should make sure they have all their safety gear in place, including lifejackets.
"Especially the ones for kids. Kids under 10 are required to wear life jackets in Minnesota now and have enough for all the adults on board. And then if you're boat is 16 feet or longer you also have to have one boater seat cushion as a throwable device. That law's been in effect for 10 or 11 years now and we're still trying to remind people because they forget about it," Smalley said.
The state DNR says the number of nonfatal boating accidents is increasing. Last year, there were 113 nonfatal boating accidents involving an injury requiring medical attention, or damages greater than $2,000 dollars. That's a jump of 55 percent over 2004.
Meanwhile, the number of registered boats rose just 1.5 percent during that time.
Weather officials say Minnesota waters are cold this year and are expected to be in the mid 50s over the holiday weekend. That's about 10 degrees colder than last year.
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