Story Published:
Aug 29, 2008 at 10:17 AM CST
Story Updated:
Oct 22, 2008 at 2:13 PM CST
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- Boaters must follow new laws on the water this Labor Day weekend. Missouri Water Patrol officers will be watching for drinking and speeding. It's an effort to reduce accidents tied to alcohol, as well as recklessness on the water.
The enforcement efforts will include sobriety checkpoints to enforce a new lowered maximum blood alcohol level for pilots. The legal limit as of Aug. 28 is .08 percent, down from .10 percent. That means the limit is the same as for drivers.
Last summer was the deadliest in the history of Lake of the Ozarks. Eight people drowned before Labor Day and alcohol was a factor in all but one of those deaths. Over all, the Water Patrol says drunken pilots cause nearly half of all boating deaths.
The new law also targets careless and reckless boating. After dusk, the speed limit for all boating areas is now 30 miles per hour. Pilots also have to slow down around Water Patrol vessels and any emergency crews.
Water Patrol Capt. Gary Haupt hopes the new rules will make lakes and rivers safer for families this Labor Day weekend and all year round.
So far this year, the Water Patrol says Lake of the Ozarks has had five deadly accidents. Overall though, the boating injury accidents are down from this year throughout Missouri.
