NRP Steps Up Patrols As Boating Season Gets Underway
With the Memorial Day holiday approaching, Maryland Natural Resources Police officers will be stepping up enforcement of state maritime laws as part of National Safe Boating Week, May 16-22.
Late May begins the annual boating boom and the four-month stretch in which the majority of boating accidents in Maryland occur.
Last Memorial Day weekend, the state recorded eight boating accidents and two fatalities.
“For many people, Memorial Day weekend marks the first time they’ll be on the water since last fall,” said Col. George F. Johnson IV, NRP superintendent. “It’s important to review procedures, do a bow-to-stern inspection, and make sure all required safety gear is on board and in good working order.”
From today through Memorial Day, NRP officers along with allied agencies will be conducting saturation patrols to intercept impaired boaters and educate the public about best practices.
Maryland boasts a flotilla of more than 178,500 registered powerboats and sailboats, and countless smaller watercraft that ply the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic coastline, and lakes and rivers.
Read More Here: http://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2015/05/15/nrp-steps-up-patrols-as-boating-season-gets-underway/
