HD27 - Study of Boating Safety Education and Boating Safety in Virginia


Executive Summary:
This report to the Governor and members of the General Assembly, as requested by HJR 557 from the 1997 Session of the General Assembly, identifies boating safety issues and concerns, and suggests actions for General Assembly consideration. Four focus group meetings were held across the state to identify boating safety issues and receive suggestions to address these issues. A random sample of 3,065 motorboat operators and 110 organizations and local governments with boating interests were then surveyed on these issues. Boating law administrators from other states and other boating safety officials were also consulted.

The objective of providing safer boating in Virginia can be achieved through programs related to voluntary safety education, effective laws dealing with the problem areas, and strict law enforcement.

Laws or changes in laws the General Assembly should consider include:

• Establishing an enhanced definition of reckless personal watercraft operation to include:

- Weaving at high speed through congested vessels underway, stopped, moored, or at anchor.

- Following unnecessarily close within the wake of a vessel towing a person or persons on water skis or other device.

- Crossing between the tow boat and a person or persons on water skis or other device.

- Jumping the wake of another vessel unnecessarily close to that vessel.

- Following or crossing the path of another vessel unnecessarily close to the stem or bow of the other vessel.

- Approaching at high speed unnecessarily close to another vessel or person in the water.

- Steering a vessel toward any object or person and turning sharply in close proximity to spray or attempt to spray the object or person.

• Defining "no wake" since no definition now exists in the Code.

• Establishing statewide requirements for motorboats to slacken speed and control wakes near docks, piers, boathouses, boat ramps, swimmers, and downed skiers, kneeboarders, etc.

• Requiring those who rent personal watercraft to others to provide them instruction on boating safety and the handling characteristics of the boats they are renting.

• Requiring those in the business of selling, demonstrating, and renting motorboats to be familiar with the laws and safety considerations by requiring them to complete basic boating safety education.

• Establishing an incentive for education by requiring a minimum age for operating a motorboat, then exempting those younger than that age if they complete boating safety education.

This combination of laws dealing with unacceptable behaviors and irresponsible conduct, and education requirements and incentives, when coupled with good law enforcement, should result in safer and more enjoyable recreational boating in Virginia.

Mandatory boating safety education, while the main focus of this study, was not recommended for all motorboat operators. Such a program would be very costly, and lacked strong support from the boat owners. Short-term benefits could not be assured, since mandatory education requirements in other states had variable results when accident rates were evaluated. Approximately one-third of surveyed boaters had voluntarily taken boating safety education. Recommendations concerning a minimum age for operators, and requirements for renters of motorboats to receive instruction, could both be incentives for more people to take boating safety education. In each of these recommendations, those with boating safety education may be exempt from the requirement.