Boating Law proposed

By Rep. Thom Watson
The next time you are on one of Maine's wonderful waters —
whether it be in a canoe, a rowboat, an off-shore cruiser or just
sitting onshore — wouldn't it be great if everyone on the water
around you knew something about nautical rules of the road and the
importance of common courtesy on the water?
A bill introduced this legislative session will make that happen. LD
2067, "An Act to Require Boating Safety Education," requires that
all recreational powerboat operators demonstrate a fundamental
level of boating safety knowledge.
Phased in over an eight-year period, the bill would require the
youngest and least experienced boaters to either take a locally
available or online boating safety course or demonstrate their
knowledge of basic boating safety requirements by passing a
standardized test approved by the state and the National Association
of Safe Boating Law Administrators.
Older and more experienced boaters would face similar
requirements by specific deadlines established by LD 2067.
Maine currently has the highest recreational boating fatality rate in
New England. Sixteen people died as a result of boating accidents
in Maine during the 2007 season, and experience in other states
shows that LD 2067 can reduce that death rate by one-third or
more.
A 2007 study of best practices in boating education by NASBLA
disclosed that those states with the longest history of boating
education also have the lowest average fatality rates of all the
states.
Moreover, the longer the education requirements have been in
place, the lower the fatality rates have become.
But it is not just the fatality rate that LD 2067 seeks to improve.
Requiring all recreational motorboat operators to demonstrate a
working knowledge of basic safety practices will create a safer and
more enjoyable boating environment for all Maine boaters by
increasing boating safety awareness.
The bill creates an educational requirement that can be satisfied
with ease and practically no expense. LD 2067 would establish a
once-in-a-lifetime boating safety education requirement.
This is not a "license" of any sort, and after a person has
demonstrated his or her boating safety competency, he or she need
never repeat the test or class.
The bill also includes provisions for out-of-state boaters; boat
renters and charters; boaters who have already completed basic
safety courses; existing maritime license holders; and anyone
operating a boat under supervised training (such as summer youth
camp programs).
This bill was developed by a working group that included the U.S.
Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power