Courtesy boat inspection at Galivants Ferry Boat Landing/Tonya Brown
Since Saturday, officers with the SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have held courtesy boating inspections at 27 landings across South Carolina.
Richard Ledbetter and his wife of Mullins took their seven-year-old granddaughter, Reign, for her first boat ride Monday.
The Ledbetter's headed out on the waters at Galivants Ferry in Marion County.
They didn't take any chances with their safety. Everyone on board had on a life jacket.
"If a kid falls in the water or something, even an adult falls in the water, most of the time this river has a fast undertow, you'd be gone in just a minute," said Richard Ledbetter.
Officers with the SC Department of Natural Resources want to make sure boaters, like Richard Ledbetter and their families, are safe on the water. So, they're doing courtesy boat inspections.
They have a checklist for things such as safety equipment and boat and motor registration.
The officers also gave boaters handouts on information containing state boating laws.
Any boat not in compliance was given the opportunity to correct problems without getting ticketed. .
"It's a great opportunity for them to see us before we're out on the water in a law enforcement situation before we have to write a ticket or warning. It gives them a chance to get their stuff straight before they get on the water and hopefully save lives," Captain Wiliam Poole, SC Department of Natural Resources.
But it's zero toleranace for intoxicated boaters. South Carolina law prohibits anyone operating a moving motorized vessel on state waters while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination thereof.
Captain Poole said, "If they come through one of these courtesy boat checks and we sense the operator of the boat is going to be impaired we tell them to not to go on the water."
The courtesy inspections mean a lot to many boaters, including Richard Ledbetter.
He wants his granddaughter's first experience on the water to be as safe as it is fun.
You can report boating violations such as reckless operations or an intoxicated boat operator by calling the DNR toll-free, 24 hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431.
