Quote:
Originally Posted by Neanderthal Thunder
Weren't you surprised to see in the transcript that Skip provided, that a police officer saw Littlefield's condition on land? Nothing happened....
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There's no law about walking around drunk (within reason). Did the police see him get in and drive the boat drunk?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neanderthal Thunder
Even roadblocks were found legal under the 4th Amendment by the US Supreme Court. A Winni stop could be intended for a written warning, while allowing the officer to observe the boater's ability to function...
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Well if you can have roadblocks, you don't need to trump up a 3 mph speed limit violation to pull the guy over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neanderthal Thunder
To a layperson, this thread's defense of a drunk boater by overserving, not on plane, 3 mph, etc., makes the speed limit appear to be more urgently needed, not less. Few drunk arrests are recorded on NH waters statewide, much less Winni. Even the most famous Winni drunk doesn't have a BWI on his rap sheet. A night speed limit gives law enforcement the only tool in the drawer against overserved, or just plain drunk, Winni boaters.
It was a drunk who decided that 28 mph was the speed that served his needs that night. Now we've decided that the boating drunks who think their going slow shouldn't be in charge of making those decisions. Drivers who aren't thinking at all, in the case of Long Lake, definately won't be trailering to a lake with a night speed limit.
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No one on this board, pro or con on speed limits, has defended a drunk boater. I'm sure that if I took a poll, every one would vote for strict enforcement of drunk boating laws.
Having a speed limit makes drunk boaters more likely. Every MP looking at a radar gun, is distracted from his real job, keeping the lake safe from drunks and reckless operators.
A boat operator too drunk to know he is dangerous and he should not operate, is too drunk to obey a speed limit.
You can't enforce BWI laws by accidently catching drunks while looking for speeders. Wouldn't you rather look for drunks?