Future for Boating

[BruceB]

Normally even hill rescue outfits don't want legislation to restrict access to anything, hence the furore up here last week when one of the rescue team actually slagged off "lost walkers" quite vigorously.
Generally it is because these organisations would be the ones tagged to enforce the legislation and in most cases without massive, and expensive, expansion of the relevant organisation it is completely unenforceable

By and large I personally don't support new legislation in non commercial boating for a number of reasons-

Its not needed, there just isn't a problem to address in the larger sense
Its not justified by the statistics or casualty figures, or the number of serious incidents.
Its basically unenforceable except in discrete areas of the country due to lack of resource, even for commercial works see todays news story from fife as a case in point.

Talking about seatbelts etc in cars is not a direct comparison, like hillwalking there is a much greater chance of being killed driving to take part than you will ever have doing the activity, on the roads the laws are enforceable and backed up by statistics showing the lives lost.

Government officials and politicians always think new laws are the way to sort things, particularly where they can use the laws to raise more money to support the application of the new laws, even where there is only a tenuous link to proof they will make a blind bit of difference to the perceived issue.

The recent scottish airgun licensing plans or the re-introduction of dog licences are two cases in point, how would these two make a blind bit of difference to anything?

[HDAV]

Unregulated??? Cycling now that's un regulated! Start their with mandatory insurance competence and PPE....... Anyone can buy a car, it's using it on the public highway that is regulated... The foreshore isn't highway..... Inland waterways are already very regulated the sea less so but with current cuts to MCA etc who is going to enforce these new regulations?

[Barrowboy]

The sad thing is that so many people misguidedly believe that education, regulation and enforcement is the way to prevent accidents, conveniently forgetting that with all the education, regulation and enforcement in the world, there will still be a human being involved. The owners of 'Millie' had undertaken appropriate RYA training, the boat was well maintained and insured but a tragedy still occurred.

In the commercial world, two appropriately coded wind farm transfer vessels with commercially-endorsed and experienced skippers on board ploughed into objects (a bombing range buoy and a monopile) on the same day in November 2012 whilst carrying passengers, fortunately, without any fatalities.

Whenever I'm on the water, I rejoice in the fact that the sea would appear to be the last remaining place on earth where I can get away from the bureaucrats, cctv cameras, jobs-worths and nanny's! Long may it continue to be so.

[chewy]

Just because you have a ticket to say you have passed a course doesn't mean competent or experienced.

The wind farm accident could have being avoided if a proper watch was maintained.

[mick]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Unregulated??? Cycling now that's un regulated! Start their with mandatory insurance competence and PPE....... Anyone can buy a car, it's using it on the public highway that is regulated... The foreshore isn't highway..... Inland waterways are already very regulated the sea less so but with current cuts to MCA etc who is going to enforce these new regulations?

The list is endless Dog owner ship Horse owners a lot of parents with unruly kids etc etc

[sorabain]

Are there any stats on how seat-belt use changed since that law was brought in? I was thinking that it might not be necessary to strongly enforce something if just by being law it made people more likely to comply with it anyway. I don't recall what they did when they changed the seat-belt law.. did they run it purely off safety adverts on TV, or did they also have a few periods of dedicated enforcement to set the ball rolling and change the culture?

Regarding "no point making X safer when Y is equally unsafe" type arguments: I thinnk there's always a danger of some form of paralysis when you get this as the argument is often also usable in reverse "no point making Y safer as X is equally unsafe" and nothing improves.

Personally think the insurance route is the way to go, expect it'll be a while before you get tracker boxes on boats to monitor your use though.

[Starovich]

Originally Posted by sorabain

Personally think the insurance route is the way to go, expect it'll be a while before you get tracker boxes on boats to monitor your use though.

insurance will want to mitigate their risk, and probably require some form of training, backedup up with a test, and will also refuse to payout of you've been drinking I bet.

I would guess premiums would be lower while voluntary, as lary Oiks wont bother insuring thus lowering the claim rate there fore the premium rate will be lower.

[Starovich]

Originally Posted by chewy

Just because you have a ticket to say you have passed a course doesn't mean competent or experienced.

Scrap the driving test then?

Get rid of corgi gas installers?

no point in going to medical college then? Pop round ill whip out those tonsils?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Starovich

Scrap the driving test then?



Get rid of corgi gas installers?



no point in going to medical college then? Pop round ill whip out those tonsils?

It'd help evolution along no end, & help to control the overpopulation.


.....sh1t happens.......

[Biggy]

posted on here then thread jumped... has the forum gone nuts

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Biggy

... has the forum gone nuts

Aye, it all got a bit tense, must be summat to do with the eclipse or PMT😳


.....sh1t happens.......

[mick]

Who got pics of the eclipse then

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by mick

Who got pics of the eclipse then

I did, I'll post 'em later