MSHP looks for BWIs, other infractions as holiday weekend begins
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is gearing up for a busy weekend down at the Lake of the Ozarks as an increase of boaters are expected over Labor Day weekend.
Troopers will look for multiple boating infractions, including safety violations, boating while intoxicated and failure to register.
"We're looking for impaired driving," MSHP Cpl. Jacob Hardy said. "Operating a boat is a main concern here, we want to try to keep everybody as safe as we can."
Though Hardy said it is more difficult to spot BWIs than it is to spot DWIs.
"Unlike the road, we don't have lines that we can kind of watch for like when people are driving," Hardy said. "It's more of the registration violations or other safety violations, are people riding on the back of the bow of the boat."
Hardy said the department keeps its eyes peeled for other violations because "there are not many violations, especially at night, that you can stop a boat for."
"Well, one thing is registration," Hardy said. "Whether your numbers are improperly displayed or maybe you've had the boat for so long and the numbers are faded and we can't see them, so that's one thing that's relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.
"It could also lead to something a lot more important, whereas an impaired driver, or maybe they were short safety equipment like life jackets, which could turn into a huge safety concern as well."
Hardy also offered advise for fueling your boat as well.
"The main thing is before you get fuel, be sure to close all your doors, hatches, windows, that helps keep the vapors, the gas vapors out of the hull of your boat," Hardy said. "Then after you finish fueling, be sure to open all those up and let it air out for at least four minutes before you go and try to start your engines."
