Nearly 600 fines were handed out last year to boat users for offences including speeding, steering while drunk and driving without a licence.

The total number of 570 tickets in 2022 was a record and a big increase on 2021’s figure of 501, which was itself more than three times the number handed out in the previous two years.

Lisanne Verheijen, spokeswoman for the highways and waterways administrator Rijkswaterstaat, said people had taken to the water during the pandemic when other leisure activities and foreign holidays were restricted.

“People who bought a boat back then have stayed on the water, but unfortunately it looks as if their steering hasn’t got any better,” she said.

The figures were published in the Telegraaf following the Ascension Day weekend, which is traditionally seen as the start of the boating season.

Altogether 137 fines were issued for speeding on waterways, 124 people were fined for not using the kill switch, which automatically stops the boat if the steering wheel is unmanned, while 63 fines were issued for not having a licence and 60 for not using a lifejacket.

The national speed limit on water is 20 km/h, but traffic on many provincial waterways is restricted to 12 km/h or 9 km/h. There is no limit for speedboats or jetskis on open water, as long as they stay 20m from the shore and 50m from moorings or swimming areas.

Drivers of speedboats with a top speed of more than 20 km/h must hold a licence and have a kill switch enabled. They must also have a lifejacket to hand and wear it if they stand up to steer.

The minimum age for licensed drivers of speedboats is 18, while 16-year-olds can drive motorboats and steer sailing boats and children over 12 are allowed to drive small motor boats with a top speed of 13 km/h.

Fines range from €45 for not being equipped with a lifejacket to €550 for driving speedboats without a licence.