Protection In Advance Of Boating Season

This is the time of year when many boat owners are pulling their watercraft out of winter storage, pulling off the protective tarps and getting ready to hit the water!

Every boat owner knows the amount of love and labor required to properly maintain the vessel and its equipment. But the hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries that occur each year by passengers and crew seem to indicate more focus is needed on safe boating and protection from harm.

Whether your day of boating involves a cruise under the bridge at the Straits of Mackinac or a lazy float down Old Man River, Cloverleaf Insurance offers these safety tips:

• Everyone on board should wear a life jacket
• Even on the water, there are road rules. Know and obey marine traffic laws, and learn various distress signals
• Stay alert. Look out for watercraft, swimmers, floating debris and shallow waters
• Load your boat carefully. Don’t overload, and distribute the load evenly. In a small boat, don’t stand up or shift weight suddenly. In any boat, do not allow passengers to ride on the bow, seatbacks or gunwales
• Driving under the influence is as dangerous on water as it is on land. Do not operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs

But before that first boating or fishing trip, be sure you and your watercraft are properly protected. Consider this:

• Every 150 minutes, someone is injured or killed in a boating accident
• Almost 50 percent of boating accidents are due to inattention, inexperience, speeding or boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Collision with another boat is the most commonly reported accident

These statistics suggest that proper training in the operation of watercraft can help prevent injury and loss.

Another precaution you can take is to purchase liability protection for your boat or watercraft. Boat insurance can provide peace of mind for potential liability, protection for accidental loss or damage to the boat itself, and medical expense coverage for guests other than family members who may be injured while on your boat.

We would be happy to provide a boat insurance quote. Call Cloverleaf Insurance at (800) 530-5822 to get started.