This holiday weekend unofficially kicks off the summer travel season and boating season on Georgia’s lakes and rivers and law enforcement is reminding those on the road or on the water to stay safe.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach was at Lake Lanier in Hall County where officials worked to get the message out about education and enforcement.
Standing together police, deputies, game wardens, and safety officials said they are ready for the Memorial Day weekend. Over one million in Georgia are expected to travel over the next five days and with more than half of all traffic deaths in the state involving victims not wearing a seatbelt, the message is to buckle up.
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Also, designate a driver and don’t drive drunk if in a vehicle or vessel.
Channel 2 Action News rode along with the DNR as they did safety checks on Lake Lanier.
Officials said they will be out looking for anyone boating under the influence and this year strictly enforcing the 100-foot rule, that same rule starting in July extends to 200 feet for those wakeboarding or surfing.
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“We have seen boat collisions, jet skis hitting docks and other boats at high speed, incidents like these often end in injury and even death,” said Col. Thomas Barnard.
Last year on Georgia waterways, 80 people died from either boating accidents or drowning and they’ve seen 16 fatalities so far this year and want to keep that number from growing through the holiday.
The Georgia DNR game wardens will be out here in force. Lake Lanier is one of the most popular lakes in the state and all the Southeast with around 14 million visitors last year.
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