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Demo shows dangers of eased boat-towing restrictions
WRAL-TV5
RALEIGH, N.C. — State troopers staged a demonstration Thursday for the media to illustrate their concerns about a proposed bill that would ease boat-towing restrictions for North Carolina motorists.
UPDATE!! Wide boat veto brings back lawmakers
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley said today that he was calling the legislature back into session to reconsider a bill that would allow wide boat trailers on the state's roads.
Complete Story: newsobserver.com | Wide boat veto brings back lawmakers (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1193008.html - broken link)
RALEIGH, N.C. — The General Assembly made history Wednesday by overriding its first veto after failing to reach a deal with Gov. Mike Easley's office on a boat-towing bill.
Great now we have the game of dodge boat on our roads, where someone that has been on the lake all day, is tired, possibly under the influence of alcohol is now towing a 10 foot wide boat home, at a time when professional drivers are not allowed to haul overwidth loads.
It's time to clean Raliegh out, they are drunk with their power and the 'good old boy system' is rolling over common sense and fiscal responsibility.
This bill WILL kill people in NC, and the concern for the safety of everyone in the state by elected officials is clearly stated by their vote. The Senate passed the bill unanimously. The House approved it 108-5. This means that out of 170 elected house or senate members, only 5 care about your and my safety, or worse only 5 even paid attention to what they were voting on.
I disagree, This law is very old and was not even enforced up until last year. And that is when it hit the fan and prof salt water tourney fishermen were being targeted and fined and knew nothing of this law. Very few boats wider then 8.5 are being towed to lakes it is more about the coast and most of these boats travel interstate and highways. The law put more people at risk by ristricting the times they could tow to day light and not on weekends and holidays. The gov was kinda putting more people at risk and causing more safety issues mixing school buses and commuting traffic(brillant). And the facts are that most large boats going to coast are going before sun rise and leaving after dark when the traffic is very low. The stats on accidents involving these boats is very low because of the early time of transport. As far as the the lower dwi numbers, why not do this for every one who drives an suv or a mini van, I mean they more then likley are transporting kids and should be held to a higher standard,right. Less gov is a good thing, they are out of there minds
I disagree, This law is very old and was not even enforced up until last year. And that is when it hit the fan and prof salt water tourney fishermen were being targeted and fined and knew nothing of this law. Very few boats wider then 8.5 are being towed to lakes it is more about the coast and most of these boats travel interstate and highways. The law put more people at risk by ristricting the times they could tow to day light and not on weekends and holidays. The gov was kinda putting more people at risk and causing more safety issues mixing school buses and commuting traffic(brillant). And the facts are that most large boats going to coast are going before sun rise and leaving after dark when the traffic is very low. The stats on accidents involving these boats is very low because of the early time of transport. As far as the the lower dwi numbers, why not do this for every one who drives an suv or a mini van, I mean they more then likley are transporting kids and should be held to a higher standard,right. Less gov is a good thing, they are out of there minds
The NC Highway Patrol and the AAA have both made statements that this is a dangerous practice. I'll put more value on their opinion than anonymous opinion.
NC considers any load wider than 8'6" to be a wide load, and subject to a whole litany of requirements.
And as for the comment about being towed early morning or late at night (in the dark), people won't even see it coming to know what hit them. Commercial loads 8'7" and wider are not allowed to travel at night, Sundays, and some holidays. Loads 8'7" and wider are allowed on STAA approved routes only both hauled by professional drivers with CDLs. But now some guy with a pickup and a big honking boat is exempt from this?
And yes you bring up valid points about drunk drivers, etc, but that is not the topic of this thread, which is about the stupidity exhibited by elected officials supporting this bill, written and sponsored by a representative that owns marinas, but surely this is not a self serving good old boy and his buds that really not care if someone you or I care about is killed by some guy dragging his huge boat after a long day on the water.
I drive 96" wide trucks on a regular basis, and these take all the road on many roads at 8', and someone gets to drag something a foot and a half wider down a dark two lane road, that is just nuts.
This is ridiculous. The lawmakers in Raleigh are only concerned about $$$$ and their special interests. They obviously haven't had to travel down the narrow 2-lane highways that may of our coastal visitors still use. I HOPE that most of the ones towing these oversize boats will be able to use the interstates or wider highways but the reality is that many will still be traveling on other roads that are not safe for those wide loads. Hwy 58 from Kinston is still a heavily traveled thoroughfare for folks heading to Swansboro/Emerald Isle area from areas like Kinston/Greenville. They have no choice but to take these roads because it's the only way to get to the beach from where they are. Most have enough trouble keeping their 8' boats in their lane. I shudder to think what it will be like when they try to tow the wider boats in those same lanes.
Bravo! The NC House and Senate listened to the boat owners. Now the boat trailers we have been towing for years are not a target for the greedy Easley administration.
Bravo! The NC House and Senate listened to the boat owners. Now the boat trailers we have been towing for years are not a target for the greedy Easley administration.
Actually they listened to a marina owner, one of their own, and from there it was a slam dunk, never mind that it creates a deadly hazard.
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