[upthesaukee]

I smiled when I saw the reference on the "winnfabs" website about effective enforcement on Lake George & Saratoga Lake in upstate NY. Most of Lake George is very narrow with quite a few islands that channel traffic into a small navigation area, pretty much like Alton Bay from Echo Point to Little Mark (for width---maybe a little wider. Saratoga Lake isn't much bigger than Wolfeboro Bay as seen from shore...haven't been on it.

Enforcement...use relatively inexpensive radar guns (is that website going to fund the cost???? ) or even better is the use of the trained eye of experienced patrol officers in estimating speed (who's funding the use of experienced officers to estimate the speed).

From their own link to a a USCG report on accidents 2003 (pg37 or so I think): they show the causes of accidents:

total accidents operation of vessel 3105
operator inattention 703
careless reckless oper 486
operator inexperience 477
excessive speed 446
no proper lookout 326
alcohol 289
rules of the road infraction 199

these seven causes contribute to 2926 of the accidents. The first 3 plus the last cause totals 1865 accidents or almost 64% of the accidents. speed is 15%.

The speed cause is of concern to me because there is no quantitative data here. Was it 50 MPH, 60, 90, 100+???? or was it 15 MPH while docking at the Alton Docks???

Lake George and Saratoga Lake are not Winnipesaukee. Nor is our Marine Patrol funded for this type of enforcement. We have adequate regulation and simply need enforcement of the existing laws and education education education. Some of that education will come in the form of fines and operating privilege suspension, but let's not over legislate. I am more concerned with the 64% accidents than I am with the speed related, and with the 64% I didn't even include the improper lookout. Speed is not the major factor here.

Hope the bill fails!!!!