KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — People born before Jan. 1, 1989, do not need a boating education certification to drive or operate any boat that exceeds 8.5 horsepower in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, since 2019 there have been 76 fatal boat crashes involving a driver old enough to not need a boating education certification.
Everyone in Tennessee who is 35 years old and older does not need an additional certification, unlike those born after Jan. 1, 1989.
The certification test has 60 questions and costs $10. Senator Richard Briggs (R- Knoxville), said he thinks the legislature should consider making a change. However, he also said change could take a while.
"What I would like to see in the 2024 legislative session is for TWRA to do a presentation on those numbers of deaths," Briggs said. "I was not aware of that until we had our discussion on that today."
Briggs also said that this is something that needs careful thought and consideration of all the facts.
"We need to find out where the accidents are occurring, what the causes of the accidents are, who's involved with and what type of watercraft they're in, and let that soak in," he said.
WBIR has asked TWRA how the 76 deaths compare to the total number of boating deaths after a summer involving several boating-related fatalities. WBIR has not received that information yet.