What is the main responsibility of a boat operator?

The main responsibility of a boat operator is to ensure the safety of all passengers and the vessel. This encompasses a wide range of duties that prioritize safety, including maintaining proper lookout, understanding and following navigational rules, ensuring that everyone on board wears life jackets when required, and being prepared for emergencies. A boat operator must be vigilant and proactive in assessing conditions, managing situations, and making decisions that protect everyone on the vessel.

In this context, the other choices do not capture the primary responsibility of a boat operator. Navigating the fastest route might optimize travel time but does not inherently protect passengers or the vessel. Maintaining the engine is certainly important for the boat's operation, but it is a part of vessel maintenance rather than the overarching priority of passenger safety. Collecting tolls is generally not a responsibility attributed to boat operators and is more relevant to specific locations or types of boats. Safety encompasses all actions taken by the operator to provide a secure boating experience, making it the primary responsibility.