Offshoreonly.com - ALERT !!! Speed Limits on NJ's Waterways

10mph Speed Limit - I need your HELP!!!!!!!!

Toms River, NJ - August 14, 2008

YES! I NEED YOUR HELP - TODAY!

You have all seen the news stories from the last week and a half. Fortunately we have received som every fair and unbiassed press which I am very thankful for.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the last 48hrs I have learned that there are ALOT of emails coming into the press and the Boat Regulation Commission that are in favor of a 10mph night time speed limit. With that said....we need to ACT AND ACT NOW!

Our Position: "Increased Funding For The State Police To Enforce Existing Laws is the answer to Safer Boating In NJ - not new laws that would not be enforced just like the existing ones."How can you help me fight this "mis-information campaign?"

SEND AN EMAIL TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE NOW!

Mary Ann Spoto - Star Ledger [email protected]
Margaret Bonafide - Asbury Park Press [email protected]
Roger Brown - Chairman NJ Boat Reg. Comm. [email protected]
Briana Vannozzi - NJN News
[email protected]

You can write your own letter to these people or if you wish, you can copy and paste this sample letter (see below) and just add the name it is addressed to and your name at the bottom.

Take the time to help today to we can win this fight tomorrow!!!

Thank you!
Best Regards,
Dave Patnaude
President
NJ Performance Powerboat Club
Dear____________;

It was with great regret that I learned of the boating tragedy that recently took place on the Metedeconk River that resulted in a fatality. While I did not personally know any of the boaters involved, my deepest thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. It was truly a tragedy that is upsetting in many ways, not the least of which of how some people are trying to blame all power boaters in New Jersey. The State Police and the prosecutors office have not finalized their investigation at this time, yet people are making several assumptions:

Do we know if any of the drivers were not carrying a valid boat safety certification card?
Do we know if anyone was drinking that was involved?
Do we know if either boat had legal running lights on?
Do we know if the boats were on plane in a no wake zone?

If we are to follow the logic of a few, then if someone dies in a car accident at night, we should ban cars from driving at night, or reduce the speed limit on the New Jersey Turnpike at night, or the Garden State Parkway at night? How many people die in car accidents at night? If a plane crashes at Newark airport in the evening, should we ban night flights or maybe ask them to land their planes a bit slower? New Jersey is one of the largest boating communities per capita in the United States and it's safety record is one of the VERY best. So how is it when there is one terrible and regrettable accident that comes to the public's attention, some people try and penalize everyone else.

New Jersey has some of the toughest safe boating laws in the country. We also have laws against driving and drinking. We have laws that require proper lights on all boats at night. We have laws that require you drive a boat at a safe speed based upon current conditions. New Jersey is doing a great job of protecting boaters through it's current laws and setting a great example to other states. So why is it that some people are convinced that we need Speed Limits on the tidal waters at night? If someone drinks and drives a boat at night, or takes drugs and drives a boat at night, or drives at any speed without running lights, or operates a boat without a proper legal certification, will a 10mph law have any impact on them; most likely not. Those that wish to break the law will not be any more careful because of a new night time speed limit law.

The real root of the problem is enforcement of current laws that already exist. Due to the budget crisis that the state of NJ is in, man power hours have been greatly reduced in the ranks of the State Police on the water. That is a fact.

Toms River, Mantoloking and Brick's Police Departments have all admitted on the record that they have had or have tried to have their own marine patrols but due to budget issues they have had to either eliminate them or cut them back significantly. That is a fact.

On a national level, according to the United States Coast Guard 2007 Accident Statistics, excessive speed is attributed to only 12% of all boating accidents and only 7% of all fatalities. That is a fact.

The State Police have already testified, on the record, that trying to measure and enforce a speed limit is extremely difficult on the water with current radar equipment. That is a fact.

So how do we make NJ's waters safer for all boaters that includes Power, Sail, Canoe, Kyack, Personal Watercraft? The answer is increased funding for the State Police to have a much greater presence on the water from Memorial Day to Labor Day. If our existing laws were enforced better, we would have safer waterways and I am sure there would be increased revenue to the state from the summonses that would be written to those who break the existing laws.

The facts prove that enforcement of the current laws will make NJ boaters safer, not an additional law that will not be enforced just as other current laws on the books are not enforced.

Sincerely,

_____________________