The mention of the word "safety" is enough to send many boaters scrambling for the nearest refuge. It's given! After all, who really wants to listen to some "self-righteous" individual explain the importance of the following basic, commonsense safe boating rules?

I'm happy to say that this is not the case with boaters who sign up for any APRA-sanctioned poker run, from Florida to Texas, and all the way north to the 1000 Islands. The plain and simple fact is that the must-follow rules we have established over the past 16 years have ensured that our events are accident-free.

I have to emphasize that we're very serious about enforcing our mandatory guidelines. Any team caught drinking alcohol on the run, not wearing a life jacket or PDF and not equipped with a safety switch is immediately disqualified. Same goes for drivers and navigators who don't attend the pre-run drivers meeting.

To our credit, we've only had to deal with a few bad apples in the barrel. The large majority of our poker runners realize that we are very concerned about their safety on the water. And, considering the incredible speeds of today's high performance boats, it makes even more sense for everyone to adhere to some basic regulations.

While many poker run organizers have adopted our guidelines, and some have recognized the value of signing on as a duly-certified APRA-sanctioned member, there are still a large number of events across the nation that don't subscribe to any rules.

For Poker Runs America, this is a major concern. All it takes is one accident to put an end to an event that is a positive and very rewarding experience for all boaters. Although we are full-fledged members of the print media and we will continue to promote poker runs and races, we have no control over newspaper and television reporters who will, at the first sign of trouble, pinpoint the negative aspects of ever-growing poker run phenomenon.

That's why we strictly enforce safety on our events. That is also a good reason to join forces with our American Poker Runs Association, even if you don't, at least make sure that the next poker run you sign up for shares our basic, commonsense philosophy. ( Top )