Well, I guess Pandora’s Box is now open. USA Today’s article about yesterday’s NTSB memo states that the NTSB has declared “war” on distracted driving:
The crashes prompted the NTSB to open a new front in its war on distracted driving, Chairwoman Debbie Hersman said….
In recent years, the agency has found increasing evidence that the rapid growth in the use of wireless electronic devices is creating a hazard for drivers, pilots and train engineers. In its letter to the Coast Guard on Wednesday, the NTSB for the first time said that similar distractions could be dangerous on the water….
The NTSB, which has no regulatory power, urged the Coast Guard to tighten restrictions on cellphone use by its officers. It also asked the Coast Guard to issue a broad safety advisory to the entire maritime industry warning of the risks from cellphones.
(bold type mine)
via NTSB urges tighter controls on distracted boating – USATODAY.com.
Wow – war is a strong word. War implies an enemy, and in this new war, the enemy will be anyone using a cell phone while at the controls of a vessel.
I’m going on the record now as saying that the USCG will some kind of policy restricting the use of cell phones on commercial vessels within 24 months. If we learn that the tugboat driver in Philly who hit that Duck Boat last month was using his cell phone, I predict an outright ban on cell phone use while at the wheel of a tow/tug boat. I base this in part on the USCG’s past history of regulating commercial fleets like tugs and fishing boats verses broad regulations that affect all boaters. The USCG will leave the regulation of cell phone use by recreational boaters to the states.
None of these new regulations will save any lives…
Don’t say I didn’t tell ya so.
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