Recently, two 14-year-old boys disappeared while out on a fishing trip from Port Jupiter, Fla.

Later that day, the boys’ parents became very distressed because the boys had not returned. Coast Guard teams searched rigorously for days, only to find the capsized vessel that the boys had set out on. This was not good information for family and friends of the young men.

I know that this could have been avoided if the required age of unaccompanied boating was raised.

Ken Harris, native of the Atlantic coastal region of Florida, stated that the age of these two young men would not have been a contributing factor to their disappearance.

“They had more experience on the water than most adults,” he said.

Each year, many jet ski/ boating accidents happen because of irresponsible children who should not be out on the water by themselves. I strongly agree to the fact that you should be required to have a driver’s license to operate a marine vessel.

This would eliminate minors being eligible to drive a boat without a responsible adult on board.

I know that the number of boating accidents per year caused by a minor would decrease drastically.

Some people may state that this would not have made a difference on the boating accidents chart. But I highly disagree with that non-educated opinion.

I also strongly believe that minors should be allowed to operate a marine vessel as long as a licensed driver is on board as well.

Boating is an exciting, family fun activity that nearly anyone can enjoy as long as boaters take necessary safety precautions to reduce the risk of an accidents.

I know that my ideas would not only keep the waterways safer, but also they would save many lives in the boating community.

As an avid boater myself, I would not even think about going out on the water by myself, even if I was legally allowed to do so. I think this way because if an emergency were to occur while I was out, I may not be able to handle it.

If someone responsible were with me, the problem could be addressed in a proper and safe manner.

Several serious things could happen while on the water: Your boat could stall and not restart; you could fall overboard and there would be nobody to help you; or your boat could run out of fuel while far away from shore.

If this were to happen, the vessel may not be equipped with a radio to contact someone to help you either.

We need to address rules and regulations that will help boaters be safer so that no one is ever lost again.