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Officers warn boaters about safety over Memorial Day weekend

By Elsa Gillis
By Elsa Gillis

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Boaters will likely be on the lake this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day weekend.

Officials will have all hands on deck to handle the crowds on Lake Norman and ensure a safe holiday weekend.

Jetskier Andrew Pfieffer took advantage of the calm before the holiday weekend storm.

“Too many people out on the water,” Pfieffer said of the ensuing crowds. “I’m just coming out to have a good time, get it warmed up for the summer."

While Pfieffer won't be out on the lake, there will be no shortage of traffic.

Officer Rodney Prince, with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, is one of many who'll be patrolling to keep everyone safe this weekend.

"Boaters will need to be watching, or keep their head on a swivel, to make sure where other boats are going and they're not colliding,” Prince said.

Already this boating season, there have been 13 deaths in the state.

"There's a lot of things that can go wrong out here,” Prince said. “Just remember to be mindful and pay attention to what you're doing."

One of the major concerns, Prince said, is impaired driving, but not only because of alcohol.

"The big problem that we're seeing now is not necessarily just alcohol,” Prince said. “We're also seeing prescription drugs, people mixing drugs with alcohol.”

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has more officers trained to be drug-recognition experts.

"Somebody that takes a Xanax, and you know, drinks a beer or two, I mean they'll be impaired as someone blowing a .08, but they'll only be blowing a .04,” Prince said.

If it rains this weekend, there will be a lot of debris on the lake, or below the surface, which can be hard to see, so officials say boaters have to be looking out for it.

Prince reminds boaters that when they're out on the water, it only takes a third of the alcohol it would take on land to become impaired.

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