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Originally Posted by Evenstar
If people in smaller, slower boats are afraid to go out on lakes because of the high speeds that some of the boats are traveling – isn’t that a reason?
My boat is a 50-pound sea kayak, which is definitely a small boat. And for me, speed is the issue, not weight. I can handle 4-foot rollers just fine.
This is an important issue. Just because you don’t personally see it as one, that doesn’t mean that others don’t. Boats traveling at high speeds on busy lakes do have a major negative impact on us paddlers.
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If we start legislating against fear, where does it stop? I'm afraid of drivers under 18 and above 85. Can we pass a law to get them off the road? I'm afraid of big trucks on the highway when its raining, can we restrict them?
Fear is an emotion that can be controled by understanding the risks and addressing them. If someone can't control their fear, then they should stay away from the situation that triggers the emotion. I'm sure there are sea kayakers who could enjoy a hot busy day in July, without fear taking over.
Lawmakers should be careful that the fear of some does not become a common justification to restrict those who are not scared. Unfortunately, laws against causing fear are becoming more acceptable, as we recently saw in Boston. An innocent light box advertisement on a bridge scared up $1 million dollars worth of panic money and got someone arrested.
I think that I'm in the same category as many others (including fellow sailboat and kayak pilots). I'm fighting against the slippery slope of fear laws from creaping into the "live free or die" state. Let's use the power of law to make the lake safe and clean before we start worrying about a political action committee's definition of their "quality of life".