The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Boating Safety Class, Other Measures, Proposed

January 29, 2008 - AUGUSTA -- Bowdoinham Harbormaster John McMullen sees careless boaters as they pass his home on Cathance River and when they pass him on the water. They go too fast. They cause shore erosion. They don't have safe equipment. He believes one solution is better - education, and he came Tuesday to the Statehouse to encourage lawmakers to support a bill that would require all boaters to complete a boating safety education course.

"There are many people who purchase powerboats who think you just get in the thing, turn the key and go." McMullen said. "Once you are in the water, even a minor mistake can cause injury or death."

McMullen and others told members of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee it's time for Maine to join 38 other states that require boater safety education. They said 16 people in Maine died as a result of boating accidents in 2007, and they believe many accidents could be avoided with education.

Many of those who favor the new law made reference to a boating accident in August in which two people in a small boat were killed at night when they were struck by a larger boat on Long Lake. But not all agree education would stop those kinds of tragedies.

Opponents said enforcement of existing laws, not new regulation, is the key to safer boating in Maine.

"They don't come right out and say it, but this bill is a license," said Charlie Frechette, of Sebago Lake Marina. Frechette said many Maine boaters can't afford more regulations, with mandatory boat licensing, trailer licensing and milfoil stickers already dipping into their pockets.

George Smith of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine said many people have contacted him in opposition to the bill. "I'm certain the people of Maine are expecting you to reduce their burden of government, not add to it," he said. "Many of the problems I've heard can be eliminated by enforcement of the no-wake zone."

The committee considered the education bill Tuesday along with other boating safety measures in a hearing that lasted several hours. More than 60 people packed the small committee room to listen and testify on bills that seek to require boater education, prohibit children under 16 from piloting motorboats, and impose a horsepower restriction on Long Lake and Brandy Pond.

The education bill, sponsored by Rep. Thom Watson, D-Bath, would require all motorboat users and personal watercraft users to take a boating safety class. Starting in 2011, those 20 years old and younger would need to comply, with other age groups phased in through 2016.

"I wanted to start with the youngest and least experienced boaters," Watson said.

Watson said it would be up to the state to outline what kind of test, training or course would be required, and whether it could be taken online or would have to be taken in person. He said he didn't think the state should charge more than "a few dollars" if people can show they've completed a boating safety course. Watson said some of the online courses he completed took only about 20 minutes, but others said some classes take hours to complete.

Another sticking point is whether tourists would be required to take a class. Watson said the bill, as written, does not require out-of-staters to complete a course; some on the committee expressed an interest in adding that to the bill. Others said canoeists and kayakers should also be required to complete safety training.

Steve Blackstone of the National Transportation Safety Board provided the committee with information that showed that Connecticut has reduced fatalities by 50 percent since instituting boater education in 1993.

"We strongly urge passage of this legislation so future citizens of Maine do not lose their lives boating on state public waters," he said.


SOURCE: MORNING SENTINEL

DATE: 01-16-2008


Lakes: Long Lake, Sebago Lake
Regions: Sebago


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News