IT IS regrettable that people (hirers) have died by putting themselves at risk (sometimes out of naivety, just not knowing something like a tiller can swing around violently in a collision), writes Bill Ridgeway.
It is understandable that hiring companies want to reduce such tragedies. However, I wonder if warning lines, deck markings, 'crew areas' and 'access limitation labels' will be respected and come to nothing but an academic exercise with little or no practical outcome. Once a boat has left its mooring there is no-one to remind or enforce the rules.
Ineffective
I can foresee such accidents continuing and articles in narrowboatworld about the effectiveness of the new rules and the pretty, but otherwise ineffective, deck markings.
Well, after all that doom and gloom, may I wish you and your readers a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year