– That in Norway it is possible to get proof that you can drive a boat without having set foot on board a boat, we find that very strange, says secretary general of the Royal Norwegian Boating Association Stig Hvide Smith. The boating association wants driving lessons for all motorboat drivers, meaning that they must show that they can drive a boat before they get their boat driver’s licence. – You can’t teach yourself how to handle a boat, says Smith. Only theory Today, only drivers of boats and jet skis that travel at more than 50 knots – i.e. 91 kilometers per hour and faster – must have a so-called high-speed license with the driver. This certificate was made mandatory last summer and requires practice, regardless of the age of the driver. On boats that reach 90 kilometers per hour – i.e. 49 knots – only a theory test is required from boat drivers who were born in 1980 or later. If you pass the test, you get a boat driver’s licence. Those born before 1980 do not need to take a boat driver’s licence, they can only get behind the wheel of a motorboat. Fatal accidents Speed also kills at sea. So far, 24 human lives have been lost in recreational boats in 2024. During the whole of last year, 23 lost their lives, while 2022 was an extra gloomy year with 34 deaths in accidents with recreational boats. The boating association has asked the authorities to introduce practice requirements for motorboat operators. Smith believes that several of the accidents at sea caused by speed could have been avoided if boaters had had more practice. – It’s the same with a boat as with a car, the higher the user’s competence, the fewer accidents, says Smith. In this crash test from Testfakta AB, you see what happens when a boat traveling at 20 knots or 37 kilometers per hour hits a reef or collides. The video is part of the Løftblikket campaign: Here you see what happens when a boat traveling at 20 knots or 37 kilometers per hour hits a reef or collides. – We want a practical check-out, so that you can document and prove that you can actually drive a boat, says secretary general of the Royal Norwegian Boat Association Stig Hvide Smith. Tobias Sakrisvold Martinsen He believes it is important to show that you can guide a boat in and out of a harbour, that you have an understanding of weather and wind. – And last, but not least: That you are able to get someone out of the water if you have lost someone in the water. It takes some practice. No plan for driving hours The Norwegian Maritime Directorate originally wanted drivers of boats traveling at a slower speed than 50 knots or 92 kilometers per hour to be required to have a high-speed licence. Since June last year, when the requirement was introduced, the Directorate has issued 6,080 high-speed certificates for high-speed boats and jet skis. Director of Communications in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate Dag Inge Aarhus will not introduce driving lessons for boat driver’s licenses just yet. Photo: Private – As of today, the practice of getting an ordinary boat driver’s license is not something that is on the way, but we will have an evaluation, promises director of communications in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate Dag Inge Aarhus. – A practical test will involve additional requirements and costs for those who will take the boat driving test. When this was adopted by the Storting a number of years ago, it was supposed to be a low-threshold offer. The important thing was that many took the boat driver’s test to gain competence in, for example, the right-of-way rules, says Aarhus. At the same time, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate recommends that people who buy a boat both take the boat driving test and familiarize themselves with how the boat works. Published 16.08.2024, at 05.06
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The Boating Association requires driving lessons at sea – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
