Lifejackets to be mandatory in Canada/Ontario?

[SRT8 smoker craft]

How about people going 70 mph on their sea-doos need to wear a lifejacket, and those of us who are sane have the option to wear one when at risk (and not have to when not).

 

70 mph!!! You're nuts.

 

LOL I slowed down just before I hit a piece of floating driftwood the owner a older gentleman said I wonder how fast this thing will go the lake was flat so I volenteered it was great till I hit that hunk of wood

This was a few years ago I would never do that speed now that I have a little one to take care of. it should be mandatory while under power anyone that owns a boat knows how many clowns go flying around way to close to other boats all it takes is 1 collision were people weren't wearing lifejackets and 4 people drown cause they wanted to make their own decisions in life doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are if your knocked out. Life jackets save lives

[DRIFTER_016]

Info I rec'd this morning from a lawyer friend.

 

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-menu-1362.htm

 

JF

 

Thank God I live in the NWT where you can pretty much do what ever the heck you want.

Because I have enough crap on my little pontoon without all the stuff they want you to carry.

 

 

Now on my real boat I have all of the required safety stuff and more.

[JohnF]

The process to get from talk to legislation is long and convoluted and little gets thru it as originally proposed. That link I posted is the law as it stands.

 

Not saying it can't happen but it will be a while if it does.

 

JF

[pike n' whities]

I don't care much for wearing mine all the time. If i had one of the $200 inflatable ones. sure i'd wear that 24/7. at least it'd be comfortable! but I don't wear a life jacket unless the weather gets nasty or im doing a speed faster than trolling. other than that no life jacket. only 24/7 when im in a canoe. everyone here has a valid opinion. but it should all come down to personal choice. at least in the hands of an adult anyway. I don't bring young children in the boat anyhow.

 

anyway, thas my opinion....

[HTHM]

I seem to remember the same outrage at the seatbelt legislation.

However it will make diving and swimming off the boat a little more challenging.

[irishfield]

Oh hell Albert.. that's next! Mandatory to wear a PFD while swimming...

[musky66]

I think they should be worn at all times, moving or not- I always showed my kids that by example.

[HTHM]

Oh hell Albert.. that's next! Mandatory to wear a PFD while swimming...

Bad enough we have to wear bathing suits.....although in my case it is a blessing. (too many ruined marriages, or lost lunches, you decide )

[irishfield]

Depends on the boat in use.. the people on board and their driving experience.. the weather and what we are doing. 12' tinny or port-a-bote... always have our jackets on. 16' Steel work boat.. maybe. Sitting in a 22' long x high sided Lund... down rigging at 1.66mph with crew on board forget it! Alone.. jacket is always on... and I even tie the 15' mooring rope to my belt in case I take a header loading the down rigger! Hydraulic steering doesn't kick to one side so that the boat comes back to get you!!

Edited May 25, 2010 by irishfield

[Terry]

I wouldn't want to be the guy to tell the owners of 50ft yachts..that their guests have to wear lifejackets and sleep in them if they stay over night

and nude sun bathing is out too

 

oh and you must leave them on while having sex in a boat........

[perchslayer666]

I think this is a great idea it will save lives, even if the amount statically speaking is historically low - every life counts.

I think some of the old timers on the board have a mind set from a different time and place, and hey guess what - Times change as do provincial laws.

Is this seriously a big issue? It sounds like some people on here have an issue with authority and change. I mean the cost of a life jacket has come down immensely in the past few years (even the auto inflatable ones) where everyone who can afford to be out on the water can or should be able to afford one.

 

This should be praised as a preventative measure to save lives.

[Billy Bob]

Depends on the boat in use.. the people on board and their driving experience.. the weather and what we are doing. 12' tinny or port-a-bote... always have our jackets on. 16' Steel work boat.. maybe. Sitting in a 22' long x high sided Lund... down rigging at 1.66mph with crew on board forget it! Alone.. jacket is always on... and I even tie the 15' mooring rope to my belt in case I take a header loading the down rigger! Hydraulic steering doesn't kick to one side so that the boat comes back to get you!!

 

NYS has a stupid law that says starting Nov 1st to May 1st if aboard a boat smaller than 22' you must wear a life jacket when under way.....that makes the rich and famous who can afford large boats exempt from the law much like the police are exempt from wearing seat belts and Congressmen don't have to pay Social Security and can vote themselves raises.

 

FIGHT for your rights my fellow Canadian friends.

[lookinforwalleye]

I don`t really have a problem wearing a PFD while running at cruising speed but wearing one while fishing would be very uncomfortable.

 

I would like to know what percentage of the drowning victims were liquored up or doing dumb things like swimming at night while drunk or canoeing at night while drunk.

[danbouck]

Bad enough we have to wear bathing suits.....although in my case it is a blessing. (too many ruined marriages, or lost lunches, you decide )

 

swap the suit for a pfd

[Gerry]

I always wear mine when the main engine is running. This is a rule in tournaments and I just got used to it. I think it is a good idea and long overdue, but only for boats under a certain size, like 22 ft or so. Lets face it, we all said the same when seat belts were made mandatory.

[BillM]

I'm trying to figure out why people are bringing up the seatbelt issue.. They are two completely different things..

[TC1OZ]

I almost drowned last time I tried to swim with a life vest on...

[Dara]

Bleeding hearts wanting to save us from ourselves.

 

You can't regulate stupid.

 

We need a few more safety laws.

 

I like the one where kids under 16 must wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. How many kids do you see without them. Do you realize what it costs to make a law? Millions of tax dollars. And millions of private dollars to update law books.

To just not bother enforcing it......

 

 

Our city just built a skateboard park. Its made of concrete steps and steel pipe rails for kids to do dumb tricks on.

Know why they made it...cause the kids whined till they got it.

 

Wanna know the regulations for helmets and proper gear in that park?

 

NONE...the city said it would always be open and if they made a helmet rule they would have to enforce it so they decided they they would just put up a sign recomending it.

 

Last week my nephew was there and fell and smashed his elbow. 5 hours of surgery to pick the bone fragments out and at 15 years old he will never straighten his arm again.

 

2 days later his friend ends up with a concussion at the same park. At least they had somebody to talk with in the hospital.

 

 

And you want to make a law ordering me to wear a life jacket?

 

Hands up...who wants to pay for this new law

[Sinker]

My grandfather spent over 70 years on the north atlantic...........as well as most of my family. None of them ever wore a lifejacket, and my Pop couldn't swim a stroke to save his life. A little common sense goes a long ways. Pop is still out there as much as anyone else, still no PFD.

 

He does, however, have his boaters license

 

S.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Sinker

[bigugli]

I think this is a great idea it will save lives, even if the amount statically speaking is historically low - every life counts.

I think some of the old timers on the board have a mind set from a different time and place, and hey guess what - Times change as do provincial laws.

Is this seriously a big issue? It sounds like some people on here have an issue with authority and change. I mean the cost of a life jacket has come down immensely in the past few years (even the auto inflatable ones) where everyone who can afford to be out on the water can or should be able to afford one.

 

This should be praised as a preventative measure to save lives.

You are right Chancho, we don't like the changes we see. We see common sense being thrown out the window. We see a new generation needing someone to perpetually hold their hand and wipe their for them. We see a society that likes placing blame with everybody but themselves when things go wrong, with the usual argument that "a law be passed to prevent this tragedy from happening again".

What is there to like.

[vince.bornais]

"A little common sense goes a long ways". A very good saying, too bad alot of people don't have any, or repect for the water and the people that are on it. I have been reading this page for a few years now and decided to recently join. I find it hard not to comment on some of the topics anymore. There have been a number of topics from boat launching to boating etiquette while on the water and it all comes down to common sense & respect, and common curteousy to some extent. Some people just don't have it and it's the rest of us that have to pay for it. I for one firmly believe that failure to adhere to these 3 things should be painful, but why should we all have to suffer for it? People need to know there vehicles, what they can & cannot do, and they need to have a respect for the water.

[BITEME]

Im ok with this I think there should be mandatory licensing tests as well the same as for a car to be completed at designated areas

Good on the Government for this

 

Peter

[Tarzan's Jane]

I don't own a boat but neither would I get in one unless I had a PFD. I don't trust anyone else's driving, (even on a bicycle built for two), nor mother nature. I know how to float/drift/stay alive without the complications of injuries and without having to fight a current. Don't be looking to me to help you out or one of your kids - I'm fighting for my own life.

 

Common sense differs with everyone!

 

Just wear it!

Edited May 26, 2010 by twilight

[vince.bornais]

Licensing tests won't do anything. The whole boaters exam is a farce & a tax grab. And as for car licensing, have you seen Canada's Worst Driver?

[BillM]

 

Our city just built a skateboard park. Its made of concrete steps and steel pipe rails for kids to do dumb tricks on.

Know why they made it...cause the kids whined till they got it.

 

Wanna know the regulations for helmets and proper gear in that park?

 

NONE...the city said it would always be open and if they made a helmet rule they would have to enforce it so they decided they they would just put up a sign recomending it.

 

Last week my nephew was there and fell and smashed his elbow. 5 hours of surgery to pick the bone fragments out and at 15 years old he will never straighten his arm again.

 

2 days later his friend ends up with a concussion at the same park. At least they had somebody to talk with in the hospital.

 

 

 

I really hope you aren't blaming the park for your nephews busted elbow, or his buddies concussion.

 

........I also didn't realize you needed someone to TELL you to wear safety protection.. I did all those stupid things as well in my younger years (skateboarding, amateur BMX racing, motocross, etc) and did I get hurt? You bet your ass I did... Did you see my parents blame anyone for it? Of course not, it's called taking responsibility for yourself and your own actions.