Knoxville, Tennessee — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is proposing a bill to the state legislature that would require mandatory boater education, including licensing for young boaters.

Current law declares that anyone 12-years-old and older can operate a boat or personal watercraft without adult supervision. The TWRA is recommending a minimum age of 16 for anyone operating boats with engines larger than 7.45 kilowatts.

In 1998, an estimated 300,000 boats were registered, a record for the state. That same year there were 84 accidents involving serious injuries and 11 that resulted in fatalities. The boater education law may go into effect as early as 1 July 2001.