"Nick Schade" <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com> wrote: > It is probably better to get out front promoting safety than to try and > fight off every stupid piece of legislation that comes along. Agree. Paddlers need to be proactive on this. I'm not an organization guy, but I see the value of organizations like ACA and the like to promote education programs ahead of any hammer that a law-making body might shape. I'm a long-time chemist, and my professional organization (ACS) has gone to bat for me and my kind many times. Well worth the $140/year I pay. Nick's other comment [snipped away] about the effects of Power Squadron classes and the like on reducing power boat casualties is pertinent here, also. Those classes are not required to operate a power boat in Oregon, AFAIK, but they may help to reduce the liability insurance cost for a power boat operator/owner. I am not suggesting they are an exact parallel for what we need or do, but probably there needs to be some tangible motivator to get neophyte paddlers to take similar classes. I'm all for the carrot as a motivator, rather than the stick. It is seems certain that the increase in documented paddlesport deaths from 43 in 1996 to 103 in 2000 is likely to grab the attention of lawmakers in many states. Figures like that often prompt lawmakers to do something, and they need guidance from us. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Apr 24 2003 - 13:45:29 PDT
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