Rhode Island DEM reminds boaters of safety regulations and the importance of wearing a life jacket

With summer just around the corner, it reminds Rhode Islanders of the importance of wearing a life jacket. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) joins 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 U.S. Coast Guard, 75% of all fatal boating accidents involved drowning. Worse yet, 85% of drownings involve people not wearing a life jacket. Alcohol is the leading cause of fatal boating accidents.

Boaters should also be aware of the latest boating safety regulations, which were written to save lives. Violations may result in a $100 fine. Current PFD regulations state that all operators and passengers of kayaks, kayaks, windsurfboards, kiteboards, paddleboards, and any other paddleboard must wear USCG-approved PFD protectors while underway, regardless of age. Another recently introduced regulation that could prevent injuries and save lives is a restriction that prohibits anyone from swimming on the bow of a motorboat unless it is equipped with bow seats designed to accommodate passengers, or from hanging their feet and legs over the gunwale anywhere in the boat in during.

Another rule requires boaters to slow down and move when rescue vessels — such as USCG, fire tenders, harbormaster and DEM boats — are within 300 feet of a boater and have their emergency lights on. The fourth regulation requires all fire extinguishers on boats to respect their expiration date. Typically, the manufacturing date is printed on the bottom of the fire extinguisher. The final new regulation concerns engine stop switch compatibility. Specifically, the captain of a recreational boat 26 feet or less equipped with an engine cut-off switch must use the cut-off switch if the boat is “in the plane of or above its displacement speed.” Displacement speed is the speed at which the ship’s bow wave length is equal to the ship’s waterline length. As the speed of the boat increases, the bow wave length also increases.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted What’sUpNewp’s reporting in this story.