Senator Anderson will be examining boat safety laws in Michigan to determine if additional safety measures and greater enforcement of current laws could make a difference in avoiding tragedies like the accident on Sylvan Lake. Currently Michigan law does not require some safety measures that are required in other states when towing individuals behind a watercraft. Senator Anderson indicated that he was looking into these differences to see if Michigan might benefit from strengthening its boating safety precautions.
“Because of our abundance of fresh water lakes and rivers, boating is an important part of Michigan’s recreation,” Senator Anderson said. “However, we must ensure that those who are enjoying our fresh water are doing so safely and if new safety laws can help prevent these accidents then we owe it to our boaters to take a serious look at them.”
Michigan boating accidents happen every year, primarily in the summer months when watersports and fishing are more popular and lake traffic increases. From 2011 to 2012 there were 232 recorded accidents in Michigan, 38 of which were fatal, resulting in 42 total deaths.
