Boating is a way of life in Michigan. From Labor Day to Memorial Day lakes throughout the state are peppered with boats. As each summer comes and goes, so too do accidents related to boating.
In an attempt to slow the rate of alcohol-related accidents on the water, a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives proposes that the legal blood alcohol content, or BAC, of motorized boat drivers be dropped from 0.10 to 0.08. The proposed BAC is the same figure for automobile drivers.
Alcohol consumption and boating seem to go hand in hand. According to the United States Coast Guard, alcohol use was ranked in the top 10 contributing factors to boating accidents in 2004. Alcohol was responsible for 296 reported accidents and 109 fatalities.
In a state surrounded by lakes, boating safety should be a paramount issue.
While focusing on alcohol consumption is one place to start, more emphasis also should also be placed on acquiring overall safe boating skills. In Michigan, a resident as young as 12 can operate a personal watercraft with a boating safety certificate, if they obtained the certificate before 1999. But this is not the standard procedure throughout the nation. In Louisiana, which has coastal regions on the Gulf of Mexico, there are no mandatory boating education requirements at all.
How many people do you know with a boating safety certificate?
In order to justify stricter standards on boating safety, boating safety classes should become a common part of school curriculum for Michigan students. While some students in the state who live in close proximity to bodies of water are required to complete a boating safety course, other students in different areas are not.
Should boating safety courses be as common and important for Michigan residents as automobile driving courses?
If you are required to get a license to drive a car, you should be required to get a license to drive a boat. If safety is the issue, the state should look beyond alcohol consumption and realize that the bigger issue is general education. Boats don't operate like automobiles, but can cause just as much damage.
Michigan ranked second, behind Florida, in the number of registered boats. In 2004, the state reported 944,800 registered boats, according to the United States Coast Guard.
It's obvious that boating is popular in Michigan. Practicing safe behaviors, including limiting alcohol consumption, should also be as obvious.
