News Release

COLUMBUS, OH -- The 1998 boating season was the fourth safest on record in the state -- with eighteen deaths reported. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft, the past five years have been the safest in Ohio boating history, with fatalities down more than 30 percent from the previous five-year period.

Ohio, which ranks eighth nationally in the number of registered boats with nearly 400,000, has seen as many as 32 boating fatalities in recent years.

"While we are encouraged with the long-term trend of fewer fatalities on Ohio waters, there was a slight increase in deaths over the past year," said Division of Watercraft Chief Jeff Hoedt. "With record numbers of boats using Ohio waterways, boaters need to be more aware when out on the water and follow the rules of safe boating in order to keep this trend positive in 1999."

According to Hoedt, Ohio's 18 boating fatalities in 1998 resulted from 17 accidents. In 15 of the accidents, a personal flotation device was not used or on board, and alcohol was involved in five of the deaths. Three of the boating deaths in 1998 occurred on Lake Erie, ten on other Ohio lakes, one on a pond and four on rivers.