ODNR State urges boaters to play it safe

Officials stressed the importance of life jackets.
SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) -- State officers who patrol Ohio's lakes and rivers are hoping for another record-breaking year.
A year ago, Ohio had a record-low seven boating-related deaths.
"I'd like to see zero, of course," said Jeff Nehls, a watercraft supervisor with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Although there are more boaters now than in past years, the number of boating-related deaths has been dropping. The most deaths recorded was 73 in 1973. The state began keeping records in 1960.
This year, there have been four boating-related deaths.
State watercraft officers will be offering free safety inspections over the next few weeks and throughout the summer as part of an awareness campaign.
"We will be more than happy to give your boat an inspection," Nehls said.
Using caution
It's up to boaters, though, to make sure they're prepared.
"Life jackets are the most important piece of equipment on a boat," Nehls said. "Most of the fatals last year were because the victims were without them."
A year ago, two people not wearing life jackets drowned while boating on Lake Erie in August, including one man who friends described as a strong swimmer.
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that the victim not wearing a life jacket in 85 percent of the 705 boating-related deaths nationwide in 2004.
There are plenty of other dangers on the water.
Boaters should have an up-to-date chart that will alert them to hazards such as sandbars and reefs. Fortunately for boaters, Lake Erie water levels are predicted to be slightly above normal this summer.
"You need to make sure you are staying in the channel," Nehls said.
Nehls also warned that boaters should be on the lookout for smaller boats in shallow areas where people are fishing and aware of their location especially at night when landmarks are not easy to spot.
"If you are out on a lake fishing, and it starts to get dark, you might want to think about what it'll take to get back in," he said.