ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
watercraft accidents;
reporting requirements
Establishes a $500 minimum damage threshold for reporting accidents that cause property damage to watercraft.
According to the Game and Fish Department (Department), when a watercraft accident occurs, there are two documents that are required to be filled out -- a law enforcement investigative report completed by an officer and a boat accident report completed by the boat operator. The Department estimates that it takes an officer approximately two hours to investigate and prepare the required paperwork on an accident.
A watercraft operator
involved in any collision or accident, not involving injury or death, is
required by law to submit a report to the Department within five days, even if
there is minimal or no property damage.
The Department estimates that only 25 percent of watercraft owners
report accidents with damage under $500.
Under current statute it is a class 3 misdemeanor if an operator fails
to file a report. The reports can be
used for statistical purposes only, but the Department believes that since such
a low percentage of operators actually report accidents involving negligible
damage, any statistics derived from the reports are of little value to the
state.
The
U.S. Coast Guard only requires that accident reports be filed when there is
property damage in excess of $500. S.B.
1248 makes state law consistent with this requirement.
There
is no anticipated fiscal impact associated with this legislation.
1. Prescribes a minimum damage cost threshold of $500 for the mandatory reporting of watercraft collisions that do not involve injury or death.
2. Makes technical changes.
3. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
January 30, 2001