A boat with two men on board capsized near the Dock Street Dam in the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg two weeks ago. One man drowned and the other survived.

The Dock Street Dam is a particularly dangerous spot for boaters but even places on lakes and rivers in Pennsylvania that are ideal for boating can be dangerous if those operating the boat make mistakes or don’t take precautions.

As the weather warms, there will be more boats on the water and safety should be a priority.

To discuss boating safety on The Spark Thursday were Laurel Anders, Director of the Bureau of Boating, and Mike Parker, Communications Director for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Anders said the biggest safety mistake boaters make is not wearing a life jacket,"80% of deaths occurred of people who weren't wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident. So we can surmise then that most people who are in accidents rely heavily on their life jackets to save their lives during a very stressful, traumatic situation. Whether the water is cold, they end up falling overboard unexpectedly or whatever. That life jacket is there to keep them buoyant until they can get their thoughts together, until they can be rescued, get out of the water. And without the life jacket, that's when they get into trouble."

Anders indicated drinking alcohol while boating is another cause of boating accidents,"Sober boating is so very important. We see so many accidents throughout our state and across the nation where alcohol is involved. And it's an influencing factor in why the accident occurred to begin with. We know that you know it. People normally drive to get to their boating location. So that means they're going to be driving home. So if they're drinking on the water, then, they're potentially impaired on their drive home. So we encourage people to just leave the alcohol at home, save it for when you get back to shore. When you get back home."

A boat with two men on board capsized near the Dock Street Dam in the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg two weeks ago. One man drowned and the other survived.
The Dock Street Dam is a particularly dangerous spot for boaters but even places on lakes and rivers in Pennsylvania that are ideal for boating can be dangerous if those operating the boat make mistakes or don’t take precautions.
As the weather warms, there will be more boats on the water and safety should be a priority.
To discuss boating safety on The Spark Thursday were Laurel Anders, Director of the Bureau of Boating, and Mike Parker, Communications Director for the <a href="https://www.fishandboat.com/Boating/Pages/default.aspx">Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission</a>.
Anders said the biggest safety mistake boaters make is not wearing a life jacket,"80% of deaths occurred of people who weren't wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident. So we can surmise then that most people who are in accidents rely heavily on their life jackets to save their lives during a very stressful, traumatic situation. Whether the water is cold, they end up falling overboard unexpectedly or whatever. That life jacket is there to keep them buoyant until they can get their thoughts together, until they can be rescued, get out of the water. And without the life jacket, that's when they get into trouble."
Anders indicated drinking alcohol while boating is another cause of boating accidents,"Sober boating is so very important. We see so many accidents throughout our state and across the nation where alcohol is involved. And it's an influencing factor in why the accident occurred to begin with. We know that you know it. People normally drive to get to their boating location. So that means they're going to be driving home. So if they're drinking on the water, then, they're potentially impaired on their drive home. So we encourage people to just leave the alcohol at home, save it for when you get back to shore. When you get back home."

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

Advertisement