JEFFERSON CITY, MO.– Missouri State Highway Patrol is offering approved national boating educational standards, boating safety courses to help inform boaters and motivate them to be prepared for this upcoming boating season.
U.S. Coast Guard statistics say that 80.6% of boating deaths happened on boats operated by someone who had never received any boat instruction.
Boats with operators who held a nationally-approved boating safety education certificate only had 19.4% in boating deaths.
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol made the announcement in a press release and stated, “Missouri’s many rivers and lakes offer a variety of boating opportunities,” said Col. Olson. “Please do your part: Take a boating safety class. Join us in our mission to promote safety on our waterways.”
According to the press release, Missouri law requires everyone born after January 1, 1984, who operates a vessel on Missouri lakes to possess a certified boating safety education card. This includes personal watercraft operators.
Boaters have the opportunity to sign up for a certified course in a classroom .
The Missouri State Highway Patrol provides these classroom courses for free, but registration is required and a boater ID card costs $15.
If you don’t see any classes in your troop location, contact the nearest troop headquarters and ask to talk to a marine operations supervisor to check the possibility of administering additional classes.
TROOP HEADQUARTERS CONTACT INFORMATION:
Troop A Lee’s Summit- (816) 622-0800
Troop B Macon- (660) 385-2132
Troop C Weldon Spring- (636) 300-2800
Troop D Springfield- (417) 895-6868
Troop E Popular Bluff- (573) 840-9500
Troop F Jefferson City- (573) 751-1000
Troop G Willow Springs- (417) 469-3121
Troop H St. Joseph- (816) 387-2345
Troop I Rolla- (573) 368-2345
