Michigan Boaters Urged to Take Caution with Water Safety This Season
During a media briefing on the shore of Lake St. Clair on Friday, May 18, deputies from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division issued a reminder to all Michigan…
Adult Type II Orange Life Jacket, personal flotation device on sunny deck of boat
During a media briefing on the shore of Lake St. Clair on Friday, May 18, deputies from the Macomb County Sheriff's Office Marine Division issued a reminder to all Michigan boaters about the need to exercise safety while on the water.
“People not wearing a lifejacket or failure to use a PFD (Personal Floatation Device) is probably the No. 1 factor in the fatalities we see,” said Sgt. Jaime Bagos, with the Sheriff's Office Marine Division, in comments shared by the Macomb Daily.
According to the newspaper, this year's boating season in Michigan has more than 650,000 registered boats on file. With more than 600,000 legally unregistered paddle craft, Michigan is second in the nation for boating registrations.
Bagos warned that Macomb and Oakland County deputies will be patrolling the waters this season, and they will stop any boater observed committing a violation of state boating regulations. “Sometimes we'll write a ticket for boaters who don't follow the rules, but most times it's enforcement through education,” he said.
Marine Division staff shared the following statistics from Michigan's 2024 boating season:
- Twenty-seven boating accidents were reported, including five sunken boats and two fires.
- Fifty-six people were rescued.
- Boating safety encounters by sheriff's deputies led to 70 citations issued and 391 warnings.
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project also highlighted several points from the 2024 season:
- Ninety-one Great Lakes drownings occurred, 51 of which happened in Lake Michigan.
- Since 2010, 1,331 drownings have been reported in the Great Lakes.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office Marine Division encourages all boat captains to take a boater safety class and obtain a Boater's Safety Certificate. Anyone who is born after June 30, 1996, is required by state law to possess this certificate.
