A publication of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
When the operator of a recreational boat is ejected or falls overboard, the outboard motor or stern drive often swings to one side. The unmanned boat then goes into a tight circle known as the circle of death, and anyone in the water is a risk of being struck, perhaps multiple times, by the propeller. […]
According to newly released data from the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol use was the leading factor in nearly one-fourth of recreational boating deaths (21%) in 2014. Additionally, alcohol use remains the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. To help raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and boating, the National Association of State […]
While alcohol use continues to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, boating safety advocates have begun expanding their focus to take on the deadly effects of drugged driving. Of particular interest – now that more states are exploring and implementing measures to legalize cannabis (marijuana) – is impaired driving due to […]
In South Dakota, conservation officers are tasked with doing most of the boating enforcement across the state. In the spring of 2013, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) department instructors, who had been trained by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), fully trained and transitioned all state conservation officers in the […]
Workers check out damage to the Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi, which crashed in 2003. The incident highlighted the potential dangers on the water from drug-impaired boaters as post-accident toxicology results revealed levels of a prescription narcotic pain reliever in the captain’s blood stream. As we begin the summer boating season, the maritime […]
Dillon heads up new division in NASBLA Pamela Dillon, who has been serving as NASBLA’s education director since November 2011, has been named director of the association’s new Education and Standards Division. Over the last four years, Pam has been the driving force behind the development of NASBLA’s education program and all the allied initiatives that have grown from […]
Visibility is blackout, even before the boat flips over. “Mayday! Mayday!” the radio crackles. Thirty-knot winds rake the water’s surface, whipping up spray in the churning froth of three-foot waves. Thunder booms. The sky opens up and hurricane rains explode like popcorn when they hit the sea. Ping! Ping! Ping! The aluminum hull rings urgently […]
It is an encouraging sign of the times when more stringent laws are enacted to help curtail the use of alcohol while recreating on the water. On January 1, 2015, Indiana and Michigan began enforcing new laws regarding Boating Under the Influence (BUI) legislation and Florida is looking at some proposed legislation along the same […]
Register now for the 27th Annual Marine Law Enforcement Conference, being held Sept. 22-25, 2015, in Tacoma, Washington. This unique opportunity lets marine law enforcement representatives from across Washington as well as outside the state to meet, network, and train together using best practices that will enhance their duties on the water. The conference is […]
More than 250 business leaders from across all sectors of the U.S. recreational boating industry descended on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., May 11-13, 2015, for the annual American Boating Congress (ABC). ABC is organized by NMMA and is co-hosted by 35 other industry and boating organizations, including the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. […]
