Wide boat veto brings back lawmakers

RALEIGH -- Gov. Mike Easley said today that he was calling the legislature back into session to reconsider a bill that would allow wide boat trailers on the state's roads.

Easley vetoed the legislation, which would allow 9.5-foot-wide boats and trailers after dark on roads and bridges as narrow as 18 feet. Easley said he considered such wide boats to be unsafe on rural, unlit roads.

The legislature will reconvene at 11 a.m. Wednesday to vote on whether to override the veto.

Easley had to call the legislature back, or his veto would not have been able to stand. Now it will remain in place if lawmakers are unable to muster enough votes to override it.

Currently, permits are required for boat-trailer combinations more than 8 1/2 feet wide. Boats wider than that are not allowed on the road after dark and can't be hauled on weekends or on certain holidays.

The vetoed legislation would allow boats up to 10 feet wide on the road any day of the week, and boats up to 9 1/2 feet wide after dark.

Supporters of the change say it would help tourism and boat-makers. But opponents, including the state Highway Patrol, say it would lead to increased collisions.

Last year, the patrol investigated 300 collisions involving motorists towing boats, said Bryan Beatty, state secretary of crime control and public safety, said in a letter today to newspaper editors.

Beatty said his agency had asked lawmakers to lower the blood alcohol limit for drivers hauling such boats to .04 from .08. He said transporting such the wider boats takes increased concentration and skill.

"I was disappointed that the General Assembly rejected the proposal to reduce the blood alcohol content for motorists towing wider boat trailers since it endangers lives," Beatty wrote. "These issues represent safety concerns that we feel need to be addressed before we can support the proposed legislation."