Island Lover...
Just because a boat can do 160 MPH, doesn't mean the operator is going to go 160 on a crowded day. There is a perception that all owners of High Performance boats are essentially lawless cowboys. It is simply not true. If it were true we would have lots of facts & statistics available to support the need for a speed limit. We don't have those, and its not because the Marine Patrol doesn't list excessive speed in accident reports.
In actuality, the Marine Patrol does list excessive speed as a possible cause of an incident. They use the same form as the Coast Guard as shown in the Boater Safety Report. There just hasn't been any accidents where excessive speed was the PRIMARY factor.
I find it odd that you bring up the water skiing accident on Lake Wicwas, WinnFABS and others have repeatedly stated that waterskiing will not be affected by HB-162, yet here you are using that accident as a need for a speed limit? Are waterskiiers to be targeted next?
Evenstar, I do respect your position, but with 20 fatalities in human powered craft, shouldn't we mandate that any user of a human powered craft wear a PFD? I think that would be a great idea! Wearing a Life Jacket while operating a canoe or kayak has been STATISTICALLY PROVEN to save lives!
We have NO FATALITIES of people in canoes or kayaks being run over on Lake Winnipesaukee, or anywhere in NH for that matter.
Woodsy
|