The Rule of the Road Comes of Age

The evolution of international collision regulations transitioned from informal 16th-century maritime customs to a rigorous legal framework with the adoption of the 1972 COLREGs, which transformed the rules into a standalone, binding treaty. This pivotal version introduced Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) to manage congested waterways and integrated modern technology by mandating the use of radar for lookout and risk assessment. A critical legal refinement occurred with the introduction of th...