Boaters encouraged to take boat safety courses


To avoid these types of incidents officials say boaters need to be as educated as possible.

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — With boat season underway, NC Wildlife Officers are reminding North Carolinians to put safety first. Most boating accidents occur in the months of May, June, and July. Operator inattention is a leading cause of boating accidents. 

According to NC Wildlife Resources Commission, out of all the boating accidents investigated in 2021, there were 19 fatal boating incidents, resulting in 23 deaths in North Carolina. 

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And just in the last few months, there have been several drownings on waterways in the Charlotte region. To avoid these types of incidents officials say boaters need to be as educated as possible.

“A lot of the drownings we’ve been seeing over the past two to three years have come off of rental boats,”  Senior Officer NC Wildlife Zach Allman said. 

Before people hit the water, officials say boaters should take a Wildlife Resources Commission’s Boating Education Course.

“Just with the rise in population in Charlotte, you know everyone wants to go out to the lake on the weekend and we encourage that, but with that, we have new operators, so that’s why we encourage people to take the class,” NC Wildlife Officer Kristofer Blankenship said.

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