Media
Advisory
For Immediate Release
June 27, 2005
Contact: Catherine Dokey
Public Information Officer
(850) 651-7420
July 4th
Weekend Safety
With the 4th of July weekend
approaching, Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris urges all citizens to make
the roads and waterways safe in
Okaloosa County
. To insure
motorist and boating safety, the Marine Unit, Traffic Enforcement Unit and
deputies will be on alert for violators.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement Unit and
patrol will also be on alert for aggressive driving violations, as well as seat
belt and child restraint usage.
The Marine Unit and Beach Patrol deputies will render assistance or
enforcement wherever it is needed.
Citizens
should be knowledgeable of the following:
- Boats
and Personal Watercraft (PWC) need to maintain a 700 ft. distance from the shore on the gulf side.
- Boaters
and personal watercraft have to maintain idle speed in the No
Wake Zone throughout the
Destin
Harbor
and approximately 300 yards south of the
Marler
Bridge
to 500 yards north of the bridge.
- Boaters
and personal watercraft must maintain idle speed in the No
Wake Zone approximately 100 yards east of the Brooks Bridge to 500 yards
west of the bridge.
- Personal
Flotation Device must be worn
anytime a personal watercraft is operated.
Children six and under must wear a personal flotation device if the
boat is twenty-six feet in length or shorter.
- Boaters
and personal watercraft must maintain a 100 ft. distance from a Divers-Down
Flag.
- Allow
extra driving time and be aware fatigue.
- Be sure
the driver and all passengers are properly restrained.
Florida
law requires a car safety seat for children under the age of four.
- If your
car is involved in a crash, do not wait for law enforcement to arrive before
moving it; you are required to move it out of the roadway, if possible.
- Do not
enter an intersection if traffic is backed up.
If you cannot continue all the way through the intersection,
Florida
law requires you to stop before entering regardless of any traffic signal.
The
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is an active participant in the “You Drink,
You Drive, You Lose” traffic safety initiative.
Sheriff Morris encourages residents and visitors to have fun, but be safe
and responsible. Citizens
who observe threats to public safety should contact law enforcement immediately
by dialing *FHP, *DUI, or by calling the 24-hour non-emergency number for the
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office at 651-7400 or 689-5705.
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