With summer just around the corner, Rhode Islanders are being reminded of the importance of wearing a life jacket. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is joining other boating safety advocates in promoting safe and responsible boating during National Safe Boating Week.
The week of May 18 is dedicated to promoting safe and responsible boating and the importance of wearing a life jacket.
According to the US Coast Guard, 75% of all fatal boating accidents involved drowning. Worse yet, 85% of those drownings were people not wearing a life jacket. Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents.
Boaters should also be aware of the latest boating safety regulations, which were written to save lives. Violations could result in the imposition of a $100 ticket. The current PFD regulation states that all operators and passengers of canoes, kayaks, sailboards, kiteboards, paddleboards, and any other paddle craft must always wear a USCG-approved PFD while underway regardless of age. Another recent regulation that could prevent injuries and save lives is a restriction prohibiting anyone from riding on the bow of a powerboat unless it’s equipped with bow seats designed to accommodate passengers or from hanging their feet and legs over the top of the gunwale anywhere on the boat while underway.
Another rule requires boaters to slow down and move over when emergency vessels — such as USCG, firefighting, harbormaster, and DEM boats – are within 300 feet of the boater and have their emergency lights activated. A fourth regulation requires all fire extinguishers on boats to abide by their age expiration date. Typically, the date of manufacture is printed on the bottom of the fire extinguisher. The last new regulation relates to engine cut-off switch compliance. Specifically, the captain of a recreational boat that’s 26 feet long or less that’s equipped with an engine cut-off switch must use the switch if the boat is “on plane or above displacement speed.” Displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel’s bow wave is equal to the waterline length of a vessel. As boat speed increases, the wavelength of the bow wave also increases.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.