This was the first big test for people heading out on area lakes. Officials at area lakes spent the weekend making sure everyone knew the rules. The US Army Corps of Engineers and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lake Patrols stopped as many people as they could to re-educate people on what to remember.
"It's on going education. You can never have too much education. We are always just telling people not only having life jackets but make sure they fit," says Bryan Noblitt, Park Ranger.
The life jackets seem to be the thing that most people forgot and officials say it's because they were too excited to get on the water with family and friends.
"Don't run through a mental check list. Physically get out and go through the compartments in your boat and look at the stuff," says Trooper Tony Richardson, OHP.
The main things lake patrol units are looking for are life jackets for everyone and the right sizes. Having all your paperwork and a fire extinguisher. Richardson says people just keep their life jackets in a container and don't check them and that's the biggest problem.
"We see that a lot and unfortunately most of the fatalities that are involved on the water with boats, the boats are fully equipped with life jackets however they are never used," says Richardson.
Both OHP and the US Army Corps of Engineers say this weekend has to be a lot of telling people the same things over and over. But they want this to be a good tone for the summer.
"We want Memorial Day to set the trend for how the summer is going to be and we want that trend to be a safe environment," says Richardson.
