Please take care out on the water
With six drownings on Lake Wylie already this year and a sharp increase in distress calls, this summer offers a good illustration of what can go wrong on the water.
As reported in Monday’s Herald, six people have died on Lake Wylie this year, four of them on the York County side of the lake. Emergency officials say they also have seen an increase in the number of distress calls, including stranded boaters and people in the water who need help.
Officials note that much of the increase in emergencies can be attributed to a growing population and more people on the lake. What is especially disheartening, however, is that many, if not all, of the drownings and other accidents have been preventable.
Sgt. Wayne Richardson with the York County Sheriff’s Office lake patrol notes that he has yet to recover a body with a life jacket on it. He echoes other rescuers who stress that life jackets are essential for people on boats and other watercraft, and for those in the water who aren’t strong swimmers.
Power boats and other craft such as kayaks and canoes are required to have at least one life jacket per occupant aboard. And emergency responders think people should actually wear the jackets, not just stow them where they could be swept away in an accident or too hard to retrieve by someone in danger of drowning.
Responders also lament that many boat operators don’t know their way around their own watercraft. That’s no surprise: South Carolina has no licensing requirements for operating a boat except for children under 16. Boat owners and operators aren’t even required to take a rudimentary safety course before venturing out on the water.
The sheriff’s office provides free boating safety courses on the laws and regulations of boating. But not enough of the people who should take the course bother to do so, and too often it’s just a free-for-all out there.
We’re not holding our breath in expectation that the Legislature will address this safety issue in the near future. But the state needs at least to adopt basic training and licensing requirements for those who want to operate a boat, similar to operating a car.
Rescuers say that on nearly all the calls they answer, alcohol is a factor. In South Carolina, boat operators can be charged with felony boating under the influence, especially if injuries are involved.
Last month, North Carolina signed a bill into law creating a felony BUI offense similar to South Carolina’s. That means boaters who drink excessively and operate boats now can get into serious legal trouble on both ends of Lake Wylie.
Boats can cause serious injuries, just as cars can. People who have been drinking need to take the same precautions on boats that they do when climbing behind the wheel of a car.
Finally, let’s teach people to swim. School districts in York County have increased efforts to provide swimming lessons to younger students, and lessons also are widely available at public swimming pools, which is a big step in the right direction.
South Carolina is a coastal state with numerous lakes, rivers, ponds and various other swimming holes. Anyone who chooses to live here ought to know the basics of how to swim or at least stay afloat until they can be helped out of the water.
Lake Wylie and the Catawba River represent invaluable recreational resources for York County. But as emergency responders note, the open water also presents many hazards.
Please be careful and use common sense while enjoying what the water has to offer.
This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Please take care out on the water."