Police use pickup shaming to send message about driver safety

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Updated Jul 20, 2016
Pickups sinking at boat launches in Washington State have prompted police to post pictures of the submerged trucks in an effort to raise parking brake awareness.Pickups sinking at boat launches in Washington State have prompted police to post pictures of the submerged trucks in an effort to raise parking brake awareness.

Running late on your pickup’s oil change is one thing…sinking it at a boat launch is a whole other matter.

Police in Washington State have gotten so concerned about absent-minded pickup drivers sinking their trucks at boat launches that they’ve resorted to social media for help, according to upi.com.

Pictures recently posted on the Facebook page of the Lakewood Police Department show a submerged pickup at a popular boat launch, along with a tow truck pulling it free from the water.

The driver of the pickup can rest easy knowing that neither his picture nor name are found in the post. However, dozens of comments below the photos don’t bode so well for the hasty boater, including one that suggests that drivers should be required to obtain boat launch certification.

In the post, Police say they’re hoping that boaters will not skip important and simple steps when launching a boat.

“We’ve had a couple instances lately where vehicles launching boats have been submerged in the water when the operator failed to place the vehicle in park before getting out,” Lakewood Police report.

“With the nice weather and boating season underway…we’d like to remind everyone to set your parking brake and ensure your vehicle is in park before you get out. Have fun and be safe!”

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