For Immediate Release

Date: Friday, August 13, 2004

Boats Pulling Skiers, Tubers, Must Use Caution

A recent series of boating accidents involving boats towing pull toys is highlighting the need for caution. Two fatalities and a potentially serious collision have occurred in recent weeks, prompting the warning from marine patrol officers.

“Tubing is great fun, but if you don’t take basic precautions, it can turn into tragedy in the blink of an eye,” says Tony VanMeter, law enforcement training coordinator for the Marine Board. “The recent fatalities on the Columbia River, Foster Reservoir and an accident on Klamath Lake illustrate this clearly.”

VanMeter says each of the accidents could be averted by following some basic rules – rules which should be followed by boaters pulling any type of recreational device.

• Make sure no one is in the water near the motor when the motor is started.
• The driver must maintain a sharp lookout for hazards such as other boats, floating debris, rocks or the shoreline, and resist the urge to look over his or her shoulder at the person being pulled. The boat must have a designated spotter on board watching the person being pulled and verbally relaying commands to the driver. The spotter must be old enough to understand the duties and use the skier-down flag to signal that a person has fallen.
• When picking up a person in the water, slowly circle back so the person is on the driver’s side of the boat, clearly in view. Turn off the motor before the person boards the boat.
• Avoid congested areas, beaches, docks and swimming areas.
• Follow the local rules – some smaller lakes restrict skiing areas or direction of travel.

More boating safety information is available at www.boatoregon.com.

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