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Blue by You 11-01-2005 07:16 PM

VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
If you don't speak up now... this "outdated generation" task force will be changing the rules in all inland waterways...they will not support manditory education because that would mean they would actually have to make a change in their life. Plus many of them would be challenged by the eye test... Get involved people. (Yes John P I'm talking about you & your Brush!) My 8 seconds are up!

The Smith Mountain Lake Water Safety Task Force also wants to restrict the noise level of boat engines. | Talk about the safety measure on our message board

http://www.roanoke.com/messages/mess...MSID=1&MMID=20

By Jay Conley
981-3114
The Roanoke Times

MONETA -- The Smith Mountain Lake Water Safety Task Force on Monday voted in favor of recommending a 55 mph daytime speed limit for boats and personal watercraft on the lake and a 25 mph nighttime limit.

The 11-member task force, composed of lake residents appointed by the Smith Mountain Lake Association, was creAdvertisement

ated in September in the wake of a nighttime boating collision in August that killed a Moneta couple.

The task force approved the speed limits as part of a list of recommendations aimed at improving safety and increasing law enforcement presence at the lake. The lake is considered the state's most dangerous body of water because it has the highest percentage of accidents statewide.

The task force's recommendations will be presented to the General Assembly next year for proposed boating laws that could affect all bodies of water in Virginia except for coastal and tidal waterways.

"I would hope that they would listen to us," task force chairman Ralph Brush said of legislators.

The task force also agreed it wants a boat noise law recommended by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators that calls for restricting the noise level of boat engines to 88 decibels at the vessel and 75 decibels near the shoreline.

After spending more than a month collecting accident statistics and other boating data regarding Smith Mountain Lake, the task force's other recommendations include:

n Asking the General Assembly to allow the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to add 10 more game wardens, for a total of 19, to the localities that surround the lake -- Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties.

n Increasing the manpower of sheriff's deputies in those counties to help patrol the lake, especially during the summer when boat traffic is heaviest.

n Endorsing the creation of a regional Game Department headquarters on the Franklin County side of the lake.

n Requiring boats that pull water-skiers, tubers and wake boarders to have a spotter on board and requiring any person towed to wear a life jacket.

n Recommended that the Game Department increase the number of marked and unmarked patrol boats on the lake during peak spring and summer months to increase boater awareness of law enforcement.

Lt. Karl Martin with the Game Department said the agency is marking "DGIF Police" on boats in large letters so that boaters will more easily recognize the vessels.

Martin said the Game Department also is studying proposed legislation regarding boater education, increased manpower and other issues, but wouldn't comment on boat speed and noise regulations.

"I'm not in a position to make a recommendation," Martin said, "because the agency hasn't said."

Lori Dillon, vice president of the Smith Mountain Lake Power Boating Association, attended the meeting and said more enforcement of current laws and increased boater education, not speed limits, would do a lot to make the lake safer.

"I think those are the top two things right now," she said.

Brush said most lake residents think more laws are needed to tame the growing boating population.

eMotiondriver 11-01-2005 07:19 PM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
speed limit for boats and personal watercraft on the lake and a 25 mph nighttime limit.
Thats all I agree with.

Blue by You 11-01-2005 07:31 PM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 

Originally Posted by eMotiondriver
speed limit for boats and personal watercraft on the lake and a 25 mph nighttime limit.
Thats all I agree with.

Yea, well check the facts. Speed has never been an issue at SML. Anyone who is educated would know...you don't drive 100 mph at night. Not even during the day... You have to maintain a safe speed based on all the conditions. This is ALREADY A LAW!!! It can be upheald at anytime. What happens when some dumb a$$ kills a family doing 40 MPH in his cruiser because he's pulling a tuber in the channel??? Keep lowering the speed limit? No... you have to educate the captains... But most of these lake residents (and most of the ones who were "HAND PICKED" to sit on this task force) are the ones with their turn signal on for the last 5 miles...if you know what I mean.

My 8 seconds are up! Game ON!

http://www.smlpba.com/uploads/SML_20...ident_type.xls

OutlawMark 11-02-2005 07:55 AM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
They Need To Concentrate On The Un Educated Boaters & Pwc Riders.they Are The Cause Of More Accidents Than Performance Boats!! A Speed Limit Will Change Nothing!!

Mark

jayhawk261 11-02-2005 08:30 AM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
A speed limit increase will change one thing. It will decrease revenue for local businesses due to no one boating there any more. The "blue-hairs" will be happy until everyting dries up and the roads go to $hit due to no tax money coming in.

How is it that people become so bitter and selfish in their old age? if they want to live on a quiet lake, why didn't they build their house on a different lake than the busiest one in the state?

The true answer: Education and enforcement of existing laws. Why this is never looked at by the people in charge absolutely astounds me! Last I checked, it was already illegal to drive drunk and kill people. Maybe add lake patrol personnel and do more checks of boaters for drinking? Wait, that would be enforcement of existing laws!!

Also, I would wager that there are more accidents on SML than any other lake in VA because there are more boats on SML. Just goes to show, figures don't lie but liars can figure!

IM4A2Z 11-02-2005 09:56 AM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
This seems to be goin gthe same way as the gun laws :eek:
They want to add more laws to the books instead of inforcing the current ones!

jollyroger 11-02-2005 11:52 AM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
Welcome to our world... We are going thru that right now on Lake Winnipesaukee... only its proposed 45/25! it just plain SUX!


Woodsy

fruitta55 11-02-2005 12:42 PM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
I think it's about time that we all (all Boaters) try and make a stand agianst this type of legislation. Maybe we could do something on a national level? Because it seems as though we are all fighting the same battles on the local level and not really getting noticed. We all say "if they post a speed limit it will really hurt their tax revenue and local economy", but if every lake in the US posts speed limits, it won't impact them at all. Why are none of the maufacturers, either boat or aftermarket performance, lobbying agianst these rules. Probably because they see it as a local issue here and there, that while looked at in a narrow view won't hurt there bottom line. But if they would open there eyes a little more they would see it's not just a here and there issue, it's an everywhere issue. And it's about time that something is done about it.

docmanrich37 11-02-2005 02:31 PM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 

Originally Posted by jayhawk261
A speed limit increase will change one thing. It will decrease revenue for local businesses due to no one boating there any more. The "blue-hairs" will be happy until everyting dries up and the roads go to $hit due to no tax money coming in.

How is it that people become so bitter and selfish in their old age? if they want to live on a quiet lake, why didn't they build their house on a different lake than the busiest one in the state?

The true answer: Education and enforcement of existing laws. Why this is never looked at by the people in charge absolutely astounds me! Last I checked, it was already illegal to drive drunk and kill people. Maybe add lake patrol personnel and do more checks of boaters for drinking? Wait, that would be enforcement of existing laws!!

Also, I would wager that there are more accidents on SML than any other lake in VA because there are more boats on SML. Just goes to show, figures don't lie but liars can figure!

Amen brother.well said.

docmanrich37 11-02-2005 02:39 PM

Re: VIRGINIA's BOATING SPEED WILL BE 55 & 25MPH!
 
Is these a boaters' club or what ?I'll stand behind you if you stand behind me on the issue at hand on the ' few for now' lakes and bodies of waters,that are going to be effected.I consider this a boating club not just a open forum so in that sentence there are over 30,000 members and only a few responding the thread.WHY.


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