Ocean City: Laser danger points to ban

Unknown

But officials say the availability of the devices in an oceanfront air corridor used by military craft, banner planes, and commercial airliners has led to dangerous situations in which lasers have been pointed at cockpits, causing aborted missions and potential pilot blindness.
Prompted by a recent incident involving a Coast Guard helicopter, Ocean City is considering a ban on the pointers, said City Council President Michael Allegretto, terming it a public-safety issue.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/124552488.html

I've been on the boardwalk at night more than once when someone starts shining a laser over the boardwalk and all of our heads. I told everyone in my party not to look because we could damage our eyes and I don't know what kind of laser they are using or whether it is FDA approved.

I'm told by others that it is illegal to own in Australia.
From what I'm told, Australia is another place where owning a laser is illegal.

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Given that most of the dangerous lasers are green, along with the availability of narrow-block optical notch filters, I'm not sure why pilots aren't equipped with filtered glasses or visors to protect against errantly (or maliciously) aimed laser pointers. "If lasers are outlawed, only outlaws will have lasers," and it's that latter group that will still pose the most danger to pilots.

-Phil

ctwardell

I don't agree with a ban, but a good tail kicking is in order for anyone caught point at AC.

C.W.

kwinn

Both excellent points. A heavy fine, jail time, and a criminal record for those caught at this wouldn't hurt either. In the case of aiming at aircraft, ships, boats,and other vehicles a charge of attempted murder would not be out of place. Of course publicizing such a charge would be necessary.

ctwardell

kwinn wrote: »

In the case of aiming at aircraft, ships, boats,and other vehicles a charge of attempted murder would not be out of place.

Good point. A blinded driver is more likely to be in an accident due to the immediate proximity of other vehicles or stationary objects.

It's too bad when useful tools have to be regulated due to morons, if only Darwin would do his job more often maybe we could thin the heard of these idiots.

C.W.

Martin_H

The 1 mw limit is silly as 5 mw are also considered eye safe as well, and neither are the ones that dazzle pilots. The real problem is that people can buy from China or make 50 mw to 1 watt lasers for not much money. Those are the ones that can dazzle pilots or damage eyesight if the beam is directed into the eye.

Unknown

I predict the ban will take place. There are millions of people they want to keep safe and tourism is their industry. The Coast Guard has a lot of pull so without knowing anything else, I believe the ban will take place based on this.

John A. Zoidberg

In my workplace, we used lasers, but they are all in a controlled environment. I have students who have to use the goggles when working with these stuff. Meanwhile, I'm on the other side of the project, so I'm not very much exposed to that, unless if I have to visit the equipment.

Unknown

City Council Votes Unanimously to Ban Sale of Some Laser Pointers

Council passes the first reading of an ordinance that prohibits the sale and possession of powerful laser pointers in Ocean City.

http://oceancity.patch.com/articles/city-council-votes-unanimously-to-ban-sale-of-some-laser-pointers

After seeing some Ocean City merchants ignore voluntary requests to stop selling laser pointers, City Council moved Thursday to ban the sale of some versions of the devices.

Peter KG6LSE

this just goes to show how ill informed Our leaders are ....

schill

If the laser pointers that are being sold on the boardwalk are the ones actually causing the problems, I don't think I mind banning their sale.

Ocean City is a tourist town. I grew up going there for vacations (anyone else go to the Jersey shore in the winter?) and my parents lived there for a while after my dad retired.

A big problem for tourist towns is "controlling" the huge influx of seasonal visitors. These are people who don't know or typically care about local rules and regulations. For example, a long time ago Ocean City stopped requiring people to sort their recyclable materials because tourists never did. It all had to be sorted at the recycling plant anyway.

If people can buy the lasers on the boardwalk, they are going to and they will use them however they like. It's not like you can post signs saying "Don't point lasers at people, airplanes, helicopters, sea gulls, etc." and have people pay any attention to them.

I don't know if the lasers actually for sale are powerful enough to cause any issues. I've seen plenty of really cheap and useless laser pointers. But, it's very difficult to regulate them on a laser-by-laser basis. No community is going to feel they have the budget for a laser pointer inspector to go around to all the stores checking their wares.

I don't think there should be a general ban on lasers everywhere. I do think there needs to be enforcement in how they are used - I am annoyed when I see people idly playing with them and pointing them at other people.

By the way, Ocean City is a nice place to visit. It's very family friendly - a lot of this is because it is dry.

prof_braino

All electrically powered items are potentially dangerous, and must be destroyed. Think of the children!

Unknown

schill wrote: »

I don't think there should be a general ban on lasers everywhere. I do think there needs to be enforcement in how they are used - I am annoyed when I see people idly playing with them and pointing them at other people.

By the way, Ocean City is a nice place to visit. It's very family friendly - a lot of this is because it is dry.

I think Wildwood has a ban in place but I haven't confirmed this.

When people buy a laser pointer on the boardwalk, they are immediately going to want to take it out of the package and use it. There are a lot of people on the boardwalk at night and they have one or more Coast Guard helicopters that move really fast over the beach. Pilots that are blinded are a risk and it is a high populated area and pilots have to be able to do their job without risk to the public.

Laser pointers can shine for miles and they really should be regulated and only be tools because it is too much of a high risk environment to have them in and teenagers who get into mischief to show off will be shining them down the boardwalk over everyone's heads and the beam goes on for miles. Someone shining the laser pointer for miles may not see something two miles away in the dark.

Unknown

I found this article in the news about a Coast Guard crew that was targeted by a laser pointer which explains the danger. Beaches are also heavily populated areas in the summer time which increases the risk and not everyone can qualify for the Coast Guard because it is dangerous and they lose people.

If any aircrew member’s vision is compromised during a flight, Coast Guard flight rules dictate that the aircraft must abort their mission. Laser pointers can cause the pilot to see a glare, afterimage, have flash blindness or can even cause temporary loss of night vision.

Additionally, aircrew members are taken off flight duty for a minimum of 24 hours and must have their eyes dilated and be cleared by a doctor before flying again. This temporary loss of crew has the potential to significantly affect the unit’s abilities to conduct search and rescue, training and homeland security missions.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates the manufacture of laser products and according to an FDA Consumer Safety Alert, overpowered green laser pointers may have been modified to emit more radiation than originally intended. These overpowered green laser pointers are a serious concern because they can cause permanent eye damage.

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/crime/73383-cg+helicopter+crew+targeted+laser+pointer