AMERICAN BOATERS ASKED TO PLAY SAFELY DURING DANGEROUS JULY 4

With the long Fourth of July weekend approaching, even more people than usual will be heading for the nearest river or lake. With an estimate that as many as 60 deaths will occur on the nation's waterway over the holiday, officials are urging safe boating.

Alcohol abuse, drug abuse and failure to wear personal flotation devices rank as the leading causes of boating accidents.

Unfortunately, alcohol and Fourth of July celebrations go hand-in-hand for many people, said Capt. Charles Bent of the Missouri Water Patrol in Jefferson City.

"As many as half of these deaths will be directly attributed to alcohol use," said Bent says.

A steady increase in boating accidents has been reported in Missouri and Illinois in recent years. More than 782,000 watercraft are registered in the two states -- 391,446 in Missouri and 391,000 in Illinois.

"Hundreds of lives could be saved each year by the wearing of life jackets," Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar said during Safe Boating Week recently.

Edgar pointed out that of 16 boating fatalities in Illinois last year, 10 of the victims were not wearing personal flotation devices.

Accidents in Illinois increased from 157 in 1994 to 178 in 1995. Fatalities were down, from 17 in 1994 to 16 in 1995. Forty-four percent of the accidents were tied to personal watercraft such as jet ski crafts.

In Missouri, 345 boating accidents were reported in 1995, with 175 injuries and 20 fatalities. The total was down from 1994, when 394 accidents injured 222 persons and killed 17.

Thirty-nine percent of Missouri boating accidents involved personal watercraft, with more than 60 injuries but no fatalities occurring. Jet skis account for from 4 to 6 percent of all watercraft registrations in Missouri and Illinois.

"We really practice safety when we're out on ski crafts," said Todd Rowland of Express Cycle in Cape Girardeau. "We wear safety vests and try to observe water rules."

There are many are jet ski buffs in the Cape Girardeau area. They practice their skills on the Mississippi River here, and on a small lake west of Jackson.

Ten years ago personal watercraft were rare in Missouri and Illinois. Now more than 13,000 are registered in Illinois, and about 23,000 are found in Missouri.

All water craft operators in Missouri are reminded of a new after-dark speed limit, established last year. Whether in a motorboat or on a ski craft, the new after-dark speed limit is 30 miles per hour for boaters on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and on lakes with an aggregate shoreline that exceeds 160 miles.

These lakes include Wappapello in Southeast Missouri, Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Mark Twain, Table Rock and Smithville.

The new speed limit will be in effect from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. The Missouri State Water Patrol says excessive speed limits are blamed for many of nighttime boating accidents.

Other new state regulations prohibit operating self-propelled jet ski vehicles recklessly and bar persons under the age of 14 from operating a boat or jet ski unless accompanied by someone 16 or older.

Also in effect is a federal law requiring all recreational vessels to carry personal flotation devices for each passenger.

Most boating fatalities result from people falling overboard when a boat capsizes.

Nationally, more than 1,200 people die in boating accidents each year, according to a report issued by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. More than 50 percent of the fatal boat accidents involved alcohol.

Water patrol officials point out that water doesn't have lane markings and turn signals. "It's a free-for-all, and there's no way to know what the other driver is going to do," Bent said.