- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 136
- Messages
- 29
Boating Safety Bill Approved by Senate Committee
by Ananta Pancham
Feb. 7, 2006 -- A bill to enact mandatory regulations for motorized recreational boats was unanimously passed by senators at a Committee on Public Safety, Homeland Security and Justice meeting held on St. Croix Tuesday.
The bill creates an educational course on federal boating safety procedures and mandates that boat operators carry personal safety devices, such as life jackets, for passengers under 17 years of age. The bill also states that local boating rental agencies provide a quick safety course for passengers prior to renting or leasing recreational vessels, including motorized dinghies and jet skis.
Lucia R. Francis, chief of enforcement at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said the course is currently available at DPNR offices in the territory, along with local Coast Guard stations, and would take approximately 24 hours to complete. Individuals completing the course would receive a certificate approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. "Right now, we are not charging for this class," Francis said, adding, however, that a fee might be implemented in the future.
Francis testified that this bill, if enacted, would not apply to commercial vessels such as day charter boats. She said such vessels are covered under federal Coast Guard safety regulations.
Senators did have concerns over two sections of the bill. The first imposes a $1,000 fine for boat operators not carrying life jackets, while the second mandates that boat operators born after 1980 have to be certified in the course.
When asked, Francis said that younger boat operators exhibit "more reckless behavior" on the water, which can result in boating accidents. During her testimony, Francis said four boating accidents were reported in the territory for 2005. "However, we have already surpassed that amount for 2006," she said.
Francis further explained that the $1,000 fine would only be applied to boat operators after a warning had been issued from DPNR to bring life jackets aboard the vessel. "If we spot a vessel without life jackets for passengers, what we will do is provide them with life jackets and issue a warning," she said. "If we catch the same vessel operating without lifejackets in the future, then we will issue the fine."
A letter sent to the Legislature by Mark V. Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that 47 U.S. states currently have similar legislation in place due to a high percentage of boating incidents on the mainland.
Rosenker said recent national statistics show that "as few as 7 percent of boat operators participate in some kind of boat safety education programs," which has resulted in more than 3,000 boating-related injuries or deaths.
Rosenker also said that 90 percent of drowning fatalities in 2004 could have been prevented if recreational vessels carried "some kind of life jacket" for passengers.
Francis said that if the bill were signed into law, DPNR would launch a six-month public information campaign to educate residents about the regulations prior to enforcement.
There is no way they can spool up the volume needed to cover this. It will become just another sporadically enforced, explosively expensive endeavour for whoever gets caught.
by Ananta Pancham
Feb. 7, 2006 -- A bill to enact mandatory regulations for motorized recreational boats was unanimously passed by senators at a Committee on Public Safety, Homeland Security and Justice meeting held on St. Croix Tuesday.
The bill creates an educational course on federal boating safety procedures and mandates that boat operators carry personal safety devices, such as life jackets, for passengers under 17 years of age. The bill also states that local boating rental agencies provide a quick safety course for passengers prior to renting or leasing recreational vessels, including motorized dinghies and jet skis.
Lucia R. Francis, chief of enforcement at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said the course is currently available at DPNR offices in the territory, along with local Coast Guard stations, and would take approximately 24 hours to complete. Individuals completing the course would receive a certificate approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. "Right now, we are not charging for this class," Francis said, adding, however, that a fee might be implemented in the future.
Francis testified that this bill, if enacted, would not apply to commercial vessels such as day charter boats. She said such vessels are covered under federal Coast Guard safety regulations.
Senators did have concerns over two sections of the bill. The first imposes a $1,000 fine for boat operators not carrying life jackets, while the second mandates that boat operators born after 1980 have to be certified in the course.
When asked, Francis said that younger boat operators exhibit "more reckless behavior" on the water, which can result in boating accidents. During her testimony, Francis said four boating accidents were reported in the territory for 2005. "However, we have already surpassed that amount for 2006," she said.
Francis further explained that the $1,000 fine would only be applied to boat operators after a warning had been issued from DPNR to bring life jackets aboard the vessel. "If we spot a vessel without life jackets for passengers, what we will do is provide them with life jackets and issue a warning," she said. "If we catch the same vessel operating without lifejackets in the future, then we will issue the fine."
A letter sent to the Legislature by Mark V. Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that 47 U.S. states currently have similar legislation in place due to a high percentage of boating incidents on the mainland.
Rosenker said recent national statistics show that "as few as 7 percent of boat operators participate in some kind of boat safety education programs," which has resulted in more than 3,000 boating-related injuries or deaths.
Rosenker also said that 90 percent of drowning fatalities in 2004 could have been prevented if recreational vessels carried "some kind of life jacket" for passengers.
Francis said that if the bill were signed into law, DPNR would launch a six-month public information campaign to educate residents about the regulations prior to enforcement.
There is no way they can spool up the volume needed to cover this. It will become just another sporadically enforced, explosively expensive endeavour for whoever gets caught.