Today brings news of another boating accident on Lake Norman in Charlotte, in which a 66 year old man was killed and 5 folks were injured. I say "another", because we have quite a few every year, especially in the Summer - one recent accident involved a boat flying out of the lake onto nearby Interstate 77! In this case, to make matters worse, beer cans were found in the boats that collided, but toxicology reports are not available yet to determine if anyone involved was intoxicated. Let's hope not, but I daresay Summer boating on Lake Norman involves quite a few folks who operate boats while drinking alcoholic beverages.
That said, makes me wonder if we are headed for at least some type of licensing for boaters. This concept 
does not thrill me, having spent many wonderful times on the water safely boating without a license. Thing is, I was taught to be a responsible boater at Camp Sea Gull, as were many a child who learned to operate boats on the lakes and sounds of our state with their parents. And when I became a counselor at Sea Gull on the motorboating staff, I had to get a modified "6-pack" license from the Coast Guard to pull skiers and operate larger inboards. I recall having to study for the test, and joy at passing the first time. I learned alot, and it allowed me to serve as a boat captain for hire, albeit in a very humble fashion - solely on the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound. Still, the license process offered some assurance parents could trust me to safely operate boats with their children onboard or on skis behind one.
It seems a lot of folks on Lake Norman don't take operation of boats as seriously as they would a car (of course some folks probably take neither seriously), and perhaps requiring boating safety courses and licenses would be worthwhile. At least for larger powerboats, it seems quite logical, no matter how inconvenient, to require boaters to at least take some sort of boating safety course or pass some type of test giving them ability to operate their boat. Will it make boaters act sensibly and safely in their boats? Maybe not, but perhaps it would give some people pause before acting unsafely - particularly in a crowded place like Lake Norman. At the very least, folks motorboating - especially with larger boats - need to treat it just like they would driving a car. Both are powerful machines that can kill if not operated wisely (heck, cars do not have large spinning blades on them and you can get out of a car to seek medical care much more easily than a boat after an accident). As for the alcohol issue in this story, well, goes without saying no one should operate a boat under the influence, whether it's a 70 foot yacht or a 7 foot canoe.
Regardless of your views on boating licenses, safety courses, or imposing any other requirements, please be careful out there this Summer!
-will
Comments