Virginia Boat Speed limit bill!!! Need help to fight this!

[drejustice]

I personally spoke with Jim Marsh, the Smith Mt. Lake Power Boaters Association President, and this bill is the tip of the iceberg. Once a bill like this is past, it is VERY simple to expand or modify the scope of the law to include other lakes such as LAKE ANNA. Your help is needed. Contact your local legislators. Contact the Allen Dudley and let him know you don't want this bill.
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There's a NEW BILL in the Virginia house setting a night time speed limit on SML. This action requires a 2/3's majority vote. However IF this gets passed through... it would only require a majority vote to set a day time limit. DAY TIME SPEED LIMIT is there objective. This is supported by the SMLA and other groups who have been trying for years to rid the lake of anyone who doesn't fit their profiling. I'm looking for supporters & people to help. Please copy and paste this post in as many forums as you can find. We need this word to get out. They want to push this through in the cold months while people aren't thinking about boating.
Here's the email to the rep who is supporting this: Del_Dudley@house.state.va.us
Here's his personal email: AllenDudley@Hotmail.com
Jim Marsh - PRESIDENT SMLPBA
SMLPBA@aol.com
The original
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+sum+sb528
and a New one specifically about the speed limits.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+sum+HB2373

[fat rat]

What impact would out of state people have on this?

[Wet Dream]

This is something that is going to affect ALL Virginia lakes if it is approved. I know that some key people associated with Anna and BOTE have been working very hard on this and will need EVERYONES voice and support. Even if you dont live in Virgnia, if this passes...your state could soon follow. The speed limit is only one part from what I understand, noise enforcement is a big issue too.

[Wet Dream]

What impact would out of state people have on this?
If you boat on these waters, your voice has impact. Basically, you travel out of your state, and bring revenue to VA and local communities. Any legislature would have evaluate the financial impact such a law would impose.

[YeLLowBoaT]

I may be wrong, but a night time speed limit sounds like a good idea... granted I'm thousands of miles away and could care less.

[Wet Dream]

I may be wrong, but a night time speed limit sounds like a good idea... granted I'm thousands of miles away and could care less.
You're right, but then it becomes too easy for them to pass a daytime limit. Snowball effect.

[drejustice]

I may be wrong, but a night time speed limit sounds like a good idea... granted I'm thousands of miles away and could care less.
The night time limit in theory is a good idea IF IT WAS GOING TO STOP THERE. The ones that have suppored this bill have voiced opinions pushing for a speed limit bill for all times. They realized the opposition was too strong so they are going for the night time speed limit bill. If approved, it would be a VERY easy process to amend the Night time speed bill into a FULL time speed limit without a large amount of support.

[kojac]

The Lake Anna Civic Association and Spotsyvania Advisary committee are joining forces with the Smith Mountain lake association to push legislation to amend the existing laws to enforce a safe boating mandatory course for all boaters. This in itself is a good thing. BUT under the guise of safe boating they are pushing to limit speeds from sunset to sunrise to a 25mph speed limit. A $250.00 fine will be imposed on violalators. A speed limit of 55mph is now being discussed as the upper limits for daylight hours.
Jack Weller and I have sent letters to the Central Virginian newspaper and Lake Anna Observer with the tax remifications of this bill to taxpayers. Additionally Dave Dumus, Jack, and I have joined Lake Anna Civic Association to voice our opinion. A half a dozen other boaters joined us at the last Lake Anna Civic Association to show a force.
Every boat that runs over the 25mph and when the 55mph limit is imposed will be forced to enstall a GPS in order to observe speed. Boaters that have not passed the safe boating course will be fined and taken off the water.
Jack and I are in the process of starting a non profit boating association to get new members that are willing to help fight this new bill. If you boat it will effect you. We need people that have the skills and are willing to help set up this club. The name of the association is Lake Anna Boating and Recreation Assoc.
You may call Jack Weller at 1-540-894-5816 if you are interested in helping. I know that many think that they are just targeting the jetboats and associated noise but all boats that go over 25mph are going to be effected. This association is for all boat owners and people that are interested in enjoying themselves. We are primarily interested in fighting this legistation to insure that our last freedoms are not squelched and help raising money for charities.
If these limits and fines are repugnent to you call now.
kojac

[rich seibert]

pa has had the dusk to dawn speed limit for years and years

[BLUE by you]

Andre;
Thanks for passing this information along. I think there is a lot of good on both sides of this issue HOWEVER...you have to ask yourself "WHY...create a speed limit? When historically...speed has NOT been a issue in SML accidents and two, recent data shows the average speed, as logged by the DGIF is extreamly low...somewhere around 30MPH. I'll tell you why...they have a larger objective... they want to see powerboaters gone from their lake. They want to see our poker run gone and they want it to go back to the "GOLDEN POND" it was 20 years ago.
What gets me is that a large portion of these folks are ex-military...who risked their lives fighting for our freedom. Now these same folks want to make all the rules and say who can and who can not play on their lake. No to free if you ask me.
We boat safely and probably follow the rules 100x better than most, since we are responsible for 4000-12000lb vessels, we have to have the skills.
Be heard people...this is traveling the country as an epidemic. The more states that let this happen, the more chance you have it's going to affect you too.
Jim Marsh - SMLPBA

[kojac]

Lake Anna Civic Association sent their news letter out today. They say that in conjunction with Smith Mountain lake and Lake Gaston civic associations they are working to establish speed limits on the three lakes by working with the department of game and inland fisheries. This effort will require enabling legislation. They are asking the following feedback from their members so they can take names to Va. Legislation to show backing for their bill.
PRESENT SPEED LIMITS being discussed are 55mph during the day and 25mph during the night.
a. I support speed limits as described.
b. I support speed limits but they should be lower?higher than described.
c. I am opposed to establishing speed limits on the lake.
Additionally LACA is investigating the possibility of establishing noise limits on lake Anna in conjunction with the department of game and inland fisheries.
a. I agree with establishing speed limits
b. I am opposed to establishing specific noise limits on the lake.
Lake Anna Civic Association Needs your feed back.
Their address is LACA, PO Box 217 Mineral, Va.23117
The state of La. through this kind of strategy found a way to ban large pleasure boats from all their lakes. The boaters formed together and sued the state to allow the return of large boats. The suit is now in court and the boaters are running their boats until the courts decide.
IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT? If you think it wont go this far than don't do anything.
That's how Madeline got religion out of the schools and replaced it with a cop and a gun.
How's that working out?
Kojac

[BLUE by you]

Stick to the facts... Speed historically is NOT a problem at SML OR anywhere across the county (USCG Stats below) and it ranked only 4th in the number of accidents and 6th in fatalities as the contributing factor. PLUS speeding is only defined as operating above a safe speed. That could be 10mph. Careless operation, operator inattention & operator Inexperience are 1-2-3. We support education, but if operators are inexperienced & reckless & not paying attention...they're going to cause an issue at any speed.
Plus how is DGIF going to inforce it? Where does a "safe speed" fall if a posted speed is now up? 35MPH at night can be WAY TOO FAST in some conditions...what happens then. How about the speedo's in most boats...are they right most of the time? I think not. Fact is...IF YOU EDUCATE ALL CAPTAINS THEN FOR THE MOST PART, THEY WILL ABIDE BY SAFE BOATING TECHNIQUES.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BOATING STATISTICS - 2004
In 2004, States and jurisdictions reported a total of 12,781,476 registered
recreational boats compared to 12,794,616 in 2003. The 4,904 boating accidents
reported in 2004 resulted in 676 fatalities, 3,363 injuries, and $35,038,306 in property
damage.
Approximately seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned
(484 out of 676). Approximately 90 percent of the victims who drowned were not
wearing their personal flotation device (PFD or lifejacket). Overall, fatal accident
data show approximately 431 lives could have been saved last year if boaters had
worn their lifejackets.
The most reported type of accident was a collision with another vessel. However,
capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents and
accounted for over half (57%) of all boating fatalities. Boat operators need to pay
attention to the capacity label on their boat and be careful not to overload small boats
(less than 16 feet) with passengers and/or gear.
Overall, carelessness/reckless operation, operator inattention, operator
inexperience, and excessive speed are the leading contributing factors of all reported
accidents.
The most common types of boats involved in reported accidents were open
motorboats (42%), personal watercraft (PWC) (25%) and cabin motorboats (15%).
Increases were observed in the number of reported fatalities involving pontoon boats
(27) and canoes and kayaks (98) from 2003. A decrease was observed in the number
of fatalities involving cabin motorboats (42) from the number of fatalities reported in
2003.
The number of reported injuries involving PWC use continued along a downward
trend and has decreased every year since 1996.
Fourteen (14) children age 12 and under lost their lives while boating in 2004
compared to 27 children in 2003.
Approximately 70% of all reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator
had not received boating safety instruction.
Alcohol was involved in approximately one-third of all boating fatalities in 2004.
If anyone wants huge files of safety information...just email me at SMLPBA@aol.com
Jim Marsh - President SMLPBA

[General Lee II]

Dale thanks for the updates at Anna and Jim thanks for the facts (although you might be preaching to the choir here). Just penned a letter to LACA.
What about the bass boats out there - is anyone from their neck of the woods informed? There has to be a bunch of those guys who would also be impacted by this type of legislation.

[General Lee II]

And, if they are going to try to enforce a noise limitation on Lake Anna, what about the noise from the duck hunters in the fall? That scares the crap out of everyone...