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Alarmed by the increase in boating accidents and boating-related injuries, Senator Joseph A. Griffo recently called for an overhaul of state regulations on boating safety.
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"We need to make boating safety a greater priority to protect boaters on our lakes and to both encourage safe boating behavior and enforce responsible boating as a way to reduce accidents," Griffo said.
Griffo noted that current state regulations encourage, but do not require, a boating safety course for boaters over 18. He also noted that boating regulations need to be streamlined to provide greater enforcement responsibility and reduce overlap among agencies.
"Every person who operates a boat on a New York lake should have taken a boating safety course within the past five years or have documented experience in boating so that they can pass a basic boating safety course or have operated boats on New York lakes with an accident-free record," Griffo said. "The rise in popularity of New York's great outdoor waterways has also been accompanied by an increase in the number of boaters who have never taken a course and are inexperienced in avoiding accidents. The recent fatality on Oneida Lake and other incidents of boating accidents make it clear that New York state must respond with greater protection for people on the water."
Griffo noted that the current regulatory puzzle has the Department of Motor Vehicles in charge of regulations, but various other agencies - including county law enforcement agencies as well as the New York State Police - in charge of overseeing safety and issuing fines to boaters who break state and local laws.
"Every boat in New York needs to be registered," Griffo said. "We need a stronger and better mechanism of oversight to ensure that boaters who put others at risk are not able to register boats and continue to put others at risk. We also need to ensure that a boater who breaks the laws on Oneida Lake, for example, cannot just flout the law by operating a boat on Otsego Lake, for example, when in fact that person does not belong boating at all. I call upon our state agencies to develop a lead agency to oversee all boating and ensure that boaters who fail to obey the laws are kept out of the water."
Griffo said state efforts to regulate boating need to keep pace with changing times.
"Veteran boaters who know the rules need to be protected against those who may not have the right experience to operate a boat safely," Griffo said. "Government protects people on the roads and we must extend that same effort to protect those on the water."
:idea: :idea:
I agree with most of what senator Griffo has to say. I'm all for having safer boaters on the water. It would be a pain to take a boating course every 5 years, but it would probably help eliminate alot of the idiot boaters that cause alot of the problems on the lakes. And if it helps keep my family and friends safer than go for it.
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"We need to make boating safety a greater priority to protect boaters on our lakes and to both encourage safe boating behavior and enforce responsible boating as a way to reduce accidents," Griffo said.
Griffo noted that current state regulations encourage, but do not require, a boating safety course for boaters over 18. He also noted that boating regulations need to be streamlined to provide greater enforcement responsibility and reduce overlap among agencies.
"Every person who operates a boat on a New York lake should have taken a boating safety course within the past five years or have documented experience in boating so that they can pass a basic boating safety course or have operated boats on New York lakes with an accident-free record," Griffo said. "The rise in popularity of New York's great outdoor waterways has also been accompanied by an increase in the number of boaters who have never taken a course and are inexperienced in avoiding accidents. The recent fatality on Oneida Lake and other incidents of boating accidents make it clear that New York state must respond with greater protection for people on the water."
Griffo noted that the current regulatory puzzle has the Department of Motor Vehicles in charge of regulations, but various other agencies - including county law enforcement agencies as well as the New York State Police - in charge of overseeing safety and issuing fines to boaters who break state and local laws.
"Every boat in New York needs to be registered," Griffo said. "We need a stronger and better mechanism of oversight to ensure that boaters who put others at risk are not able to register boats and continue to put others at risk. We also need to ensure that a boater who breaks the laws on Oneida Lake, for example, cannot just flout the law by operating a boat on Otsego Lake, for example, when in fact that person does not belong boating at all. I call upon our state agencies to develop a lead agency to oversee all boating and ensure that boaters who fail to obey the laws are kept out of the water."
Griffo said state efforts to regulate boating need to keep pace with changing times.
"Veteran boaters who know the rules need to be protected against those who may not have the right experience to operate a boat safely," Griffo said. "Government protects people on the roads and we must extend that same effort to protect those on the water."
:idea: :idea:
I agree with most of what senator Griffo has to say. I'm all for having safer boaters on the water. It would be a pain to take a boating course every 5 years, but it would probably help eliminate alot of the idiot boaters that cause alot of the problems on the lakes. And if it helps keep my family and friends safer than go for it.
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