Prairie Public NewsRoom
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Water sking bill rejected

A bill that would have allowed a boater to pull a water skier without requiring another person to watch the skier has been killed by the North Dakota Senate.

The bill said the boat had to be equipped with rear-view mirrors.

Sen. Phil Murphy (D-Portland) says the extra set of eyes is a safety precaution.

"To substitute a person sitting in your watercraft, watching someone towed behind you, and allowing the driver to look forward --- whether it's for wildlife swimming, human beings swimming, a kayak, a canoe, another boat, another skier, whatever might be in the water -- common sense tells me it's safer to have someone looking ahead all the time, and have someone in the back watching the person being towed," said Murphy.

Sen. Joe Miller (R-Park River) says that’s not necessary.

"Most of the time, when there's water-related accidents, it's because of other influences, such as alcohol, or simply screwing around and not paying attentionto what they're doing," said Miller. "As a responsible boater, this is a good bill and an enhancement to recreation."

The bill failed 31-16.

Related Content