My hat is off to Missouri Water Patrol

[MoSam]

I went searching on the website for laws stated on another post and I found some very good ( in my opinion) new laws.

---Missouri’s Boater Education Law went into effect January 1, 2005. The law states that any person born after January 1, 1984 must successfully pass a Missouri Boater Education class/test before operating any motorized vessel. The law applies to Missouri residents as of January 1, 2005 and non-Missouri residents starting January 1, 2006.


-- Operate a motorboat or PWC at speeds greater than idle speed or slow -- no wake speed within 100 feet of:
-- dock or pier
-- an occupied, anchored vessel
-- a bouyed restricted area
-- Areas where damage may be caused by the wake of your motorboat or PWC. This does include other vessels.


A few new laws about drinking and operating a boat as well here in Missouri.
If anyone would like to read the regulation book it is online at:
http://www.mswp.state.mo.us/

I hope this information helps someone out

Shaun

[reelcrappie]

Finally some good common sense laws. I hope Georgia takes a close look these Missouri laws.

[duane]

Finally some good common sense laws. I hope Georgia takes a close look these Missouri laws.

Do you have a lake like The Lake of the Ozarks in your area? If so GA may need these new laws.

[MoSam]

Duane has a very good point!! I don't go near Lake of the Ozarks in the Summertime, way to busy for me! I hear that some areas are fairly quiet and have good fishing in the summer but I don't know the lake well enough to venture out there in the summer!

Shaun

[duane]

Duane has a very good point!! I don't go near Lake of the Ozarks in the Summertime, way to busy for me! I hear that some areas are fairly quiet and have good fishing in the summer but I don't know the lake well enough to venture out there in the summer!

Shaun

What is it about The Lake of the Ozarks? The poeple there are not just from Missouri but come from all over the mid west maybe the country.

[TAE73]

Duane is right, there are only 2 lakes like this in the US. Lake Ozarks and Lake Havasu, this bringing alot of people out of the midwest. A majority of the lakes in the US are owned by Army Corps of Engineers. Which they limit the amound and type of docks on the water. Ozarks being owned by the Union Electric likes for more house and bars to be opened by getting money of the dock permits. If ozarks didnt have the bars and houses on it, it wouldnt be the lake it was. I dont fish this lake in summer either, and I know it fairly well. I value my life and boat to get on this lake in the summer.

[Stingrayg4]

I like to see those no wake laws. Wish we had them around here.

-S

[TAE73]

For you all to know this is how much work our waterpatrol has to go through for a memorial day weekend.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS - Waterway accidents were down statewide, while on the lake injuries and the number of drunk drivers taken into custody over the Memorial Day weekend remained steady compared to last year's statistics.

Statistics for the three-day period from the Missouri Water Patrol indicate Lake of the Ozarks led the state in accidents, boating/water-related injuries and boating while intoxicated arrests, but trailed behind other waterways when it came to drownings, boating-related fatalities and drug arrests.

Over Memorial Day weekend, there were no fatalities on Lake of the Ozarks. Officials said the weekend statistics shaped up to be about what they expected.

"We are always pleased when there are no drownings or boating or water-related fatalities on Lake of the Ozarks," Sgt. Dave Wall said. "It was a very busy weekend."

Other areas of the state did not fare as well. The Water Patrol recorded one boating fatality on Table Rock Lake and three drownings: one on Truman Lake in Henry County; one on the Gasconade River in Maries County; and the third on the Big River in St. Francois County.

In 2004, there was one boating fatality statewide and no drownings.

Of the 145 drug arrests statewide, only three were on Lake of the Ozarks. The majority of the drug arrests were on rivers and float streams in other parts of the state.

Drug arrests were up statewide from 2004 when a total of 94 were reported. Six of those were on Lake of the Ozarks.

Statewide accident numbers were down substantially from the Memorial Day counting period in 2004 when the Water Patrol worked a total of 29 accidents. Of those 29 accidents reported last year, 24 were on the lake. This year the number dropped to 18 accidents statewide with 11 on the lake.

Statewide, there were 24 boating/water related injuries reported this weekend with 13 of those on Lake of the Ozarks. Last year in Missouri, there were 14 injuries with 13 on the lake.

The were no surprises when it came to BWI arrests. Water patrol officers made 63 arrests statewide, 44 on Lake of the Ozarks. In 2004, there were 44 arrests statewide with 33 on the lake.