
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland officials plan to ask legislators to make boating laws stricter as boating deaths in the state reach a seven-year high.
The Department of Natural Resources is proposing requiring more children to wear life jackets and placing age restrictions on who may supervise an uncertified boater.
Fifteen people have died on Maryland waterways this year despite stepped-up enforcement and high-visibility safety campaigns by Natural Resources Police.
One proposal endorsed by the O'Malley administration, would raise the age threshold for children required to wear a personal flotation device, from 7 to 13.
Another would require that a person with a boater safety certificate supervising someone operating a boat without a certificate be 18 years old. There is no age requirement currently.
Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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