At the first meeting of the Senate Special Committee on Watercraft Safety, State Senator Julie Morrison addressed a packed room of boating enthusiasts to discuss some of her ideas to improve the safety of Illinois’ lakes and rivers. Expert witnesses, including the director of the Department of Natural Resources, the Lake County sheriff and the heads of local community groups, all discussed the pros and cons of her ideas.

“My goal is to keep people safe,” Morrison said. “I want to work with everyone to improve our safety standards without creating additional costs or inconveniences.”

Morrison emphasized that her interest is purely in promoting public safety. Some of the ideas on the table include:

• requiring boater safety certification before operating a boat
• requiring boats that are towing people to display brightly colored flags to alert other watercraft operators
• allowing the Secretary of State to suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of operating a boat under the influence

“I got some very constructive feedback at this hearing,” Morrison said. “As I continue to work on this issue, I will be able to craft better legislation as a result.”

Morrison also reassured Lake County boaters that limiting the size, weight and speed of boats are not ideas that are under discussion.

“We will have additional hearings throughout Illinois in the months to come,” Morrison said.

Read more:
Tougher boating regulations get mixed reaction (Daily Herald) Friday, August 30
Editorial: Crack down on drunken boaters (Chicago Tribune) Monday, September 9