RAY SCOTT OUTDOORS, INC.
Presents
SCOTT ON LINE
By Ray Scott
Founder, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)

Alabama's Boating Laws
Setting Example for Safety

Boating fatalities at record
low.  Mandatory boat operator
licensing, education program
model to follow.

Next to Catch 'n Release bass fishing, boating safety is uppermost on my checklist of bassin' values. The Bassmaster Tournament Trail deserves credit for setting the example of wearing - not setting on - your life vest. As bass fishing role models, the pros know: "Boat Smart From the Start. Wear Your Life Jacket."

Still, too many lives are being lost needlessly on the country's waterways. The U. S. Coast Guard annually estimates over 850 lives will be claimed in boating accidents and mishaps. However, that's not the trend in my home state of Alabama.

The Alabama's boater education and operator's licensing system is receiving nationwide attention as a "role model" in the wake of the state's dramatic reduction in boating fatalities.

In past years, as many as 55 boaters have been lost in a single 12 months. But, Alabama is on course for "the best year we've ever had with only ten deaths, so far, in the Year 2002," reports William (Bill) Garner, head of the Alabama Marine Police Division.

"We won't be satisfied until the loss of life is nil, but it is the least number of boating deaths since the state began record keeping in 1961," says Garner, a 41-year veteran of boating administration in Alabama.

The marine police official points to "Alabama's mandatory boat operator licensing and boater education program" as reasons for the improved safety record on Alabama's lakes and rivers.

The Alabama Legislature, in 1993, passed the toughest boating laws in the country - the Alabama Boating Safety Reform Act. The mandatory boat operator education was implemented in 1994, but boat operators had five years to take the test and be certified. After the five-year phase-in period, Alabama set a low-water mark of 17 lost lives in 1999.

The state's low number of boating fatalities continues to improve with 17 in 2000 and a record drop to 14 in 2001. "We're keeping our fingers crossed we'll make 2002 as the record low, best ever," intoned Bill Garner.

"Alabama's waterways are a lot safer as a result of the Boating Safety Act," continues Garner. "We're got over 465,000 licensed boaters and knowing the waterway rules and being taught the do's and don't s of safe boating makes for a safer, aware public."

Garner adds, "Our example is paying dividends. Other state's water safety departments are aware of our results and taking steps to require operator's boating licenses and safety education programs."

Naturally, I'm proud that Alabama is setting the pace to make boating on public waters a safer family sport. Hopefully, other states will follow our example. Bill Garner says Utah and Indiana are working to enact stronger boating safety regulations.

With the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, B.A.S.S. set the example years ago, by requiring competitors wear their life jackets. Also, as president of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, I pushed outboard and boat manufacturers to install cut-off ignition (kill switches) devices, worked with the U. S. Coast Guard for horsepower ratings and the requirement for upright, level flotation in bass boats. All needed advances in bass tournament fishing safety.

Despite, this safe boating record and the Alabama B.A.S.S. Federation's strong support for the Alabama Boating Safety Reform Act, it required a lot of lobbying and arm twisting. Some marine dealers resisted the idea of a boat operator's license, at first, but it's proven to be a blessing for the boating industry, not a shortcoming.

With almost a half-million licensed boaters and over 250,000 registered boats on Alabama's waters, the state's accident record is certainly newsworthy. The downward trend in boating fatalities and accidents are proof boating safety can be almost bulletproof.

And, to that end, Alabama's boating law officials recognized their responsibility to reign in the use of alcohol and drinking while operating a boat. In 2001, the lawmakers lowered the legal limit of intoxication while operating a boat to 0.08 blood-alcohol level as on the state highways; reduced from the previous 0.10 maximum limit on Alabama's waterways.

B. U. I. (boating under the influence) has dropped, too, according to Bill Garner. "Just like our efforts to stop D. U. I. on the highways, with boater education and awareness, the number of offenders is down. The average Alabama B. U. I. incidents reported are between 25-30 per year," he notes. Neighboring Georgia, according to Garner, registers over 400 B. U. I. cases each year.

"Boaters are wearing - not stowing - their life jackets," observes Garner, who says the majority of deaths over the years has been due to drowning, even in boat collision accidents. Falls overboard and capsizing result in lost lives.

The new, lightweight, comfortable, inflatable life vest, now on the market, seems to be a factor in the willingness of the public to wear their life vests, opines Garner.

The U. S. Coast Guard-approved automatic-inflatable life vest is water activated with a COČ cartridge device, filling the air chambers in less than three seconds to over 35-pounds of buoyancy or more than three times the standard foam type PFD vest.

Garner says the Alabama Marine Police are equipped with the SOSPENDERS inflatable by SOS, Inc., of Fruitland, Idaho, but opt for the manual ripcord COČ inflator. "There are times our officers may enter the water and not want to inflate their vests, until they choose to pull the manual ripcord," explains Garner.

With drowning the prime cause in boating deaths, wearing a SOSPENDERS-type inflatable life vest is like buying an insurance policy. You never know when you'll need it, but you got it - if you wear it.

And, as Bill Garner points out, "This SOSPENDERS-type life vest is designed to turn the wearer to a face-up, breathing position in the water, even if the boater loses consciousness."

For you bassers, still using the old-style foam personal flotation device (PFD), take the time to read the label and disclaimer inside the vest.

The manufacturer points out: "This vest is not designed to float an unconscious wearer upright."

The U. S. Coast Guard's findings reveal these inflatable life vests are much improved over the old foam-type vest. The inflatable flotation feature will roll a face-down wearer into a face-up, breathing position. For sure, a safe-guard against drowning, the No. 1 killer in boating deaths.

There's one other next step Alabama can take in boating safety. "We're optimistic about enacting a mandatory life jacket rule requiring boaters to wear the life vest," says Bill Garner.

"Boat Smart from the Start. Wear Your Life Jacket" is a safety educational campaign for 2003 by the National Safe Boating Council. It only makes sense to make it the law.