Miami 4th of July Fatal Boating Accident

Missing link:

4 confirmed dead in Fla. boat collision - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

Cops can't be everywhere, and there certainly aren't enough of them to start writing tickets on every flying A who comes out for the fireworks. Besides, no running lights is a waste of time to write up. All a person need say is that it just went out or tell the court it was fixed the next day and the cop has wasted his day off and our tax dollars going to court. I think they're probably more geared up for the search & recues that will inevitably come up. People have to take personal responsibility for their actions. Jail sentences and law suits that take their last dime make for good lessons.

I used to book for all the fireworks displays up in Lauderdale back in the day. My first time running through the inlet with a thousand other boats taught me well, and (like you) I hense forth made it a point of letting all the people in a rush to die go in before raising my anchor.

Around here nobody doesn't here about the consequences. We've had a few 15 year and even life sentences. It gets good media coverage. That's what's needed, stiff penalties and good media coverage.
Again though I'm sure the PD and C G had every available asset on the water or standing by for the 4th of July, but the taxpayers only pay for so much.

The psychological research indicates that small, unavoidable fines for infractions do the most to change behavior. If there is a big problem with people running without lights, then the enforcement body citing them for $50-150, and the judge not throwing it out will do a lot to stop them. You don't have to wait until people die to start enforcement, and people are more likely to believe that a $50 ticket could happen to them than they are to believe that they could kill someone.

That kind of stiff enforcement is why Seattle doesn't have any jaywalkers to speak of. Even when they were a mod in the streets after the superbowl they waited for the lights to turn! Your running lights just went out? Well too bad, guess you have to face the ticket, maybe you should keep them in better working order so you don't rick that happening again. Got them fixed the next day? Good, then you wont get another ticket tomorrow. Having reasonable laws and enforcing them is good for civil order, and gets good results. Just cranking up the penalties doesn't do nearly as much as spreading them out to all violators.

Going wild with ticket writing would have great benefit. It's not the cost. It's the inconvenience, making them think.

There is one more huge gain in ticketing the somewhat small things like lights. It gives you the chance to ascertain more. Pull up to discuss that and see if you detect alcohol on the operator's breath or the smell of weed. Minor traffic stops often lead to more and minor boat checks can do the same. Often there's more than the light. Perhaps lack of PFD's or other safety equipment. You see a small boat running too close to other boats and pull it over. Odds are at least 50/50 the operator is drinking.

I'm torn on calling it harassment. On the one hand, the negative connotation to something we should be doing makes it less likely that we will do it. On the other hand, harassing the crap out of them is definitely what we need. If they aren't going to observe the basic safety rules boating should suck for them, until they change their minds and take the basic, easy, cheap, passive steps to be safe, or give it up forever.

terrible tragedy.

very sad.

Won't help, they won't understand. Best solution is to quit helping them out. Once natural selection/God's will (choose the one you like) takes place, the stupid ones will be out of the gene pool. Only then will stupidity go away.

I had coast guard check my ski boat at the lake a few years back, they told me I was the one boat they checked that was good, and I was the only person they had ever encountered that had taken the Texas water safety program. I did that so I could ride jetski's at 12, instead of 16. I watched the same guys haul off a whole family later that day that thought it was ok to let their 7 year old ride their jet ski alone. She hit and killed a wakeboarder, and the parents didnt think it was their fault. People that are that uncaring about their fellow man have no right to waste oxygen that could be used by decent humans.

Education is the key (and I don't mean an internet based course). I am continually amazed at why Florida does not require boating licenses. As it stands now, any yahoo with a little bit of money or a co-signer can get his hands on an 70 mph center console and be zipping around the bay in a few hours with absolutely no knowledge or training. You can't place all the blame on Law Enforcement. Responsibility for safe operation needs to be placed on the boat operator and the State of Florida needs to mandate education and licensure for anyone at the helm of any power driven boat regardless of horsepower or size.

The problem with that plan is that the stupid people are killing innocent people before the stupid ones are out of the gene pool.

Part of quit helping them out is quit protecting them from the people they endanger. I will use what force is needed to protect myself from an idiot, but then I will have to deal with legal issues. Why should I? We are supposed to have the right to protect ourselves and others, but you will be punished if you do. End that bs, and the people will handle the idiots. The only reason people like that are around is because they are protected.

So your proposal is to turn pleasure boating into a kind of war game? I'm sure that wont be stressful at all.

Hence, the term Pleasure Boating.