S.C. may launch new boater laws

Speed limits and mandatory safety courses for new boaters might be ahead in the waters across the state.

Officials with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources are considering both ideas, partly as a way to help control waterways in the wake of losing about one-third of the state's wildlife officers in rounds of budgets cuts in the last five years. The deaths of four boaters in one night on Lake Murray underscore the problems, officials say.

The state has more than 400,000 registered motorboats, one of the highest numbers in the nation. Natural Resources has lost 89 officers to cuts in the past few years, including about 40 so far this year, and is looking at another round of layoffs to meet expected funding shortfalls with the next state budget.

The state already requires boating safety courses for underage operators, and courtesy inspections are routine at boat landings during holiday weekends and high-profile boating events. A mandated course likely would be required for new boaters. Staff is looking at how other states regulate speeds, Director John Frampton said.

The speeds controls and safety courses might be among department proposals for the state legislative session in January 2011. The Legislature must approve the laws.

"Law enforcement would like to see it," Frampton said. But "it's not going to be an easy sell."

The General Assembly shot down the idea of requiring boating safety courses in 1998, when boaters were divided about the proposal at meetings across the state and legislators said it could infringe on personal liberties.

But times might be changing. As Charles Hope's family, including two infants, boarded his pontoon boat Monday on Lake Moultrie, the Moncks Corner resident said he thought requiring boating safety courses would be a good idea. The wide-open, often-crowded lake is capable of swamping whitecaps, and he's seen boaters who didn't know how to handle their vessels properly.

"I've seen a lot of crazy things happen out on this lake," he said. "A lot of people have no idea just how dangerous this lake can be."

Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, said the chance for new legislation to pass increases every year because there are more boaters and more inexperienced boaters every year.

The safety proposals would come after a year in which Natural Resources Department officials struggle to meet payrolls amid cuts that would slash the agency's overall budget to less than half the $31 million it was in 2000, if a proposed $4.9 million cut is made for the next fiscal year. Frampton said he's optimistic legislators will give the department some relief from that cut. If not, he said, "we're going to be in some serious trouble."

Wildlife officers across the state have been forced to pick and choose patrols and investigations, concentrating on high-use times and places. Away from high population areas like Charleston, they are virtually the only police on the water. They handle everything from calls about coyotes to hunters using lights at night. They also help enforce federal laws on offshore fishing and help in search-and-rescue operations.

As the number of enforcement officers has decreased, the number of boaters has increased, particularly in the high-growth coastal area regions. The mass of boaters who anchored in Charleston Harbor for the recent Blue Angels performance made portions of the harbor resemble a parking lot. Among them are inexperienced or first-time operators without a clear grasp of safe boating practices, Frampton said.

The issue of boating safety moved into the spotlight again after four people died May 1 on Lake Murray near Columbia. Two boats collided after 10 p.m., then two more boats crashed 30 minutes later less than a mile from the first accident.

It's time the General Assembly looks at licenses or certifications to operate a motorboat, said Mike McShane, Natural Resources board chairman. If not, he said, there could be more tragedies like the ones at Lake Murray.

"People are getting into boats without proper experience or background, and they're hurting themselves and other people. It's absolutely hypocritical -- insurance companies would not insure my daughter to drive without a license or having to pass a driver's education test. In the water, a boat is just as deadly."