1 Use a designated driver on the way home from the picnic or hot spot. Recent highway checkpoints have consistently produced 10 percent drunken drivers. Last weekend’s boating checkpoint hit 13 percent BWI. Police will be out looking for impaired drivers, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol “Wolfpack”, which is said to be able to ‘sense’ impaired drivers. HP says 1-in-12 drivers are impaired behind the wheel. A weekend with no wrecks on water or land would be a good holiday.
2 Pay attention to your wakes and where they will travel when out on the water.The single-biggest cause of property destruction and shoreline loss on the lake is from man-made wakes.
3 Put a lifejacket on ALL CHILDREN on, around and near the water. Each summer in recent memory, a youngster has drowned in the lake.
4 Be responsible with fireworks. Make sure all children use them only under adult supervision, and adults setting off fireworks are sober. Lake municipalities have ordinances banning the use of fireworks within their limits.
5 Be aware of pets near fireworks. Dogwood Animal Shelter offer this advice: Consider your pets and those around you during the 4th of July holiday. Fireworks are beautiful and entertaining for us humans, but can cause extreme terror to our pets. Many pets get frightened and become lost, or suffer seizures or other health problems because of the loud blasts and booms of fireworks. Be a responsible pet owner - take care to keep your faithful friends safe!
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. —
