Quote Originally Posted by Mrs.K034 View Post
I think we've talked about this before, but I'm 110% with life jackets being worn. I've seen too many people loose too much in the past four or five years,. Including our close family, and it's something that should be mandatory, if you're going over a certain speed.. I also think, that you should have to have a license to drive a boat... That's my opinion.. But, I always have a strong opinion.
Everybody that gets in my boat is handed a life jacket. If we are floating or putting down the river they need only have them within arms reach. If I go over 30 they need to have them on. I always have my jacket on. But, I don't swim.

That brings me to the license comment. I do not like the idea of licensing boat operators because that allows gov't to start meddling and making rules which they will get carried away with. I can see them saying to drive a boat you have to be able to swim, just because some lawmaker thinks it is a good idea. I can see them putting speed limits on the rivers and lakes, maximum horse power requirements and all kinds of other laws that do nothing but infringe on what we do for recreation. Remember giving you a license is nothing if they don't have a bunch of silly little rules they can take it away for if you don't comply.

HB, yes the jackets make it easier to find the bodies. But, what isn't spoken about is: Were any of those jackets that racers were wearing actually not in compliance with the rules? It really is a touchy subject as looking at it after the fact puts a bad light on some good people who tragically didn't follow the rules to a T. Why is it when a boat crashes (racing or not) and a fatality occurs, you rarely ever hear of a detailed investigation explaining what went wrong and what could be done to prevent the same thing from happening again.

For every safety measure there is a new risk added in some situations. A life jacket can keep you afloat, but if the boat capsizes, it can keep you trapped in the air pocket under the boat and you might not be found in time. Or the boat could sink over you and you might not have the strength to dive under the boat to come up outside of it with your jacket on.