Boating Safety Efforts Paying Big Dividends

The News & Advance
Published: July 15, 2008

Tougher laws requiring more boater education with an emphasis on safety are paying big dividends this season at Smith Mountain Lake. It almost makes you wonder why it took so long to get those laws on the books.

At this point last year, 19 crashes already had occurred on the lake, which is home for some 15,000 boats this summer. For all of 2007, 33 boating incidents were reported resulting in 19 injuries and two deaths.

According to Sgt. Bryan Young with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, seven crashes were recorded on the lake as of late June. Two of them resulted in injuries, but no fatalities.

That’s good news, especially for those who are patrolling the lake to enforce the stricter new laws.

Young attributes the decrease in incidents to more people taking boating safety courses that are now required. And why shouldn’t those courses be required? The state won’t let you operate a motor vehicle on state highways without having passed a test to get a driver’s license.

The new laws? One in particular mandates boater safety education for all Virginians who operate motor boats on the state’s waterways. Although the law will be phased in over the next eight years before all boat operators are covered, it is on the books and boating classes have become available.

Another key to reducing crashes on the lake is the greater visibility of law enforcement and fire officials patrolling the waters at peak times. Assisting the state game department are volunteers from the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Fire and Rescue Department who are on hand to provide an immediate response in case of an emergency.

On crowded summer weekends, both agencies have their hands full. Boaters pulling water skiers and youngsters on inflatable rafts compete for space on the lake with individuals riding jet skis and other personal water craft. Fishermen are out trolling for a catch of the day, along with sailboats seeking a breeze to keep them drifting peacefully.

The fire department and the game officials work closely together to maintain order on the lake, especially during holiday weekends. “We couldn’t do everything that we do without them,” said firefighter Skip Decker, “and they couldn’t do everything they do without us.”

Oftentimes, the availability of boats and personnel dictates who responds initially. The conservation police officers, as the game officials are now called, say the firefighters provide an extra set of hands and an extra pair of eyes on the water.

Greg Funkhouser, one of the game department’s officers, explained that the agency is limited because of budget shortfalls. “We have a shortage of manpower. If we have an incident on the lake, a lot of times they (the firefighters) can be first on the scene ... . We help them and they help us regularly,” he added.

Those who use Smith Mountain Lake for recreation should be grateful for the patrol crews — both state and volunteer — who are keeping an eye on the lake. As Funkhouser said recently, “The whole reason we are out here is public safety.” And the lower number of accidents and injuries is evidence enough that the patrols are doing their job to make the waters safer.