Boating Safety Tips
For many people, spending time on a boat, canoe, or jet ski is a favorite pastime during the warmer months of the year. Don't allow a fun day trip to turn into a trip to the Emergency Room…or worse.
Safety is the first step in preventing boating accidents and injuries. Follow these boating safety tips. On behalf of Edgar Snyder & Associates, we wish you and your family a happy boating season.
Safety Tips
- Follow all boating laws that apply to you. View Pennsylvania's Boating Laws.
- Take an approved boating safety course. Many states, including Pennsylvania, require a Boating Safety Education Certificate to operate any type of boat.
- Perform regular maintenance and safety checks on a boat before taking it out into open water. Be sure to register your boat and sign up for notifications regarding recalls.
- Check the weather forecast before heading out, and plan your route ahead of time. Make sure you have enough fuel for your trip.
- Always carry a fire extinguisher on a boat in case of emergency.
- Always wear a life jacket, and carry a life jacket for every person on board the watercraft. Also carry several throwable personal flotation devices.
- Don't operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or even prescription medications that may make you drowsy.
- Never operate a boat in a dangerous or aggressive manner. Most boating accidents occur due to speeding or reckless operation.
- Slow down so there is no wake within 100 feet of a shoreline, float, dock, ramp, swimmers, waterskiers in the water, anchored boats, or in other marked areas.
- Don't ride too close to swimmers or other boats. Always allow plenty of time to avoid a collision.
- Use running lights between dusk and dawn, as well as in rainy and foggy conditions.
- Carry a whistle and/or bell (check the laws that apply in your state) to make noise when necessary, such as to avoid a collision or to notify others that you're in trouble. Carry visual distress signals (VDS) as well.
Were You Injured in a Boating Accident?
Boating accidents aren't as common as auto collisions or other types of accidents, but statistics show they still cause serious injuries and deaths every year. At Edgar Snyder & Associates, we see much more than most people ever see. We see families torn apart and lives changed forever – tragedies that could have been avoided by taking the proper steps to ensure everyone's safety.
If you, or someone you love, were hurt in a boating accident – whether by another operator or an unsafe piece of equipment – you may have a case. Call 412-394-1000, or fill out the form at the top right of this webpage for a no obligation, free legal consultation. Our phones answer 24/7, so contact us now, before evidence disappears.