Our Say: Boating safety based on knowledge and basic rules

Every year, as the weather warms up, Maryland's recreational boaters take to the waters of the great Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Every year the Coast Guard and the state Department of Natural Resources Police urge caution and sobriety, and proffer common-sense rules for boating safety. Every year media outlets - ourselves included - spotlight these efforts.

And over the long haul, the safety picture has been improving while the number of boaters increases. There were 19 people killed in boating-related accidents in Maryland in 1996; nine died on Maryland waterways last year. Perhaps some of this is attributable to...