Lifejacket reforms to start in November 2010 in NSW

[aussiefool]

An exert from the NSW marine news letter


New lifejacket rules to improve boating safety and reduce deaths from drowning will come into effect from 1 November 2010.
Under the rules, people will be required to wear lifejackets at times of heightened risk.
The reforms are the result of a NSW Maritime discussion paper on the issue, which generated a strong response from the boating community with a record 3615 submissions.
The new rules for wearing lifejackets include:

• By children less than 12 years of age when:
  • in a vessel less than 4.8 metres;
  • when in an open area of a vessel less than 8 metres in length that is underway;
• By all boaters in a vessel less than 4.8 metres in the following heightened risk situations:
  • at night;
  • on open (ocean) waters;
  • on alpine waters; and
  • when boating alone;
• At times of ‘Skipper Judgement and Direction’ in ‘heightened risk’ situations such as when the weather worsens or the boat breaks down;
• When water-skiing or wakeboarding;
• When operating a canoe or kayak on:
  • enclosed waters, when more than 100 metres from shore; and
• ocean waters.

There will be a 12-month advisory period while boaters get used to the new rules, where NSW Maritime will only penalise repeat offenders.


Aussiefool
Andrew

[SWANY22]

must say not a bad idea.i was one of thoes blokes who thought i will be all right .but all i can say if i didnt have my jacket on monday and killer switch hooked up to me i would hate to think were i would be now.learnt a vauleable lesson can defently get scary when your by your self.

[cormorant]

Should be a choice - getting silly all these rules. Police state.

Total bullcrap idea. What ever happened to common sense and pesonal responsibility and worse the fact that rules in different states are different?????

[Lovey80]

What a load of BS! I'll take the fines thank you very much! At night or alone?????? what a load of BS!

Nanny state here we go again.

[MyEscape]

Actually whilst a lot of us have the attitude of she'll be right, it only take a second for things to go pear shaped.

Enforcing younger children to wear lifejackets at all times is a good thing. Not that I have children but it makes me cringe seeing little kids without a life jacket on.

for myself I always use the killswitch cord either attached to my wrist, or belt. This is whether I'm alone or with someone else.

If you think it's a nanny state then perhaps it's because some people aren't using common sence when they need or should be.

PS
Do you think you'd be better off not wearing a seat belt in a motor vehicle?

Steve

[Jarrah Jack]

In Vic similiar laws have been in place for a while. Most of my mates just ignore them or maybe grab a jacket if there is a suspisious boat about. A lot of boats at the boat show are suddenly longer now. The streaker 458 is now the streaker 485.

That said, when I'm alone in certain ciircumstances I will put the jacket on.

[oldboot]

I can see good reasons for having strong life jacket laws....simply because there is an ignorant majority, who have probaly never had a life jacket on in their life and wolud not wear one uunder any circumstance if they had the choice.


As far as the detail.........well that is another story.

I recon the QLD laws are reasonable.....the southern ones........perhaps less so


I wear an inflatable when ever I am boating alone......even the end of the leads at wello is a long swim to shore if you get tossed out.

An one thing if for sure......if you end up in the water.....you want a life jacket on before you end up in the water......they are near impossible to get on properly once you are in the water....and they are absolutely imposible to get on if you are in the water and the jacket is still safely stowed.

As for jackets at night...umm....I can see the point both ways......if someone goes overboard at night......they can be very hard to find, even in still water.


I ask these simple questions
Have you tried your life jacket on?
Have you tried it in the water?
Have you tried to put it on in the water?

If you think life jackets are impractical and uncomfortable..perhaps you need some better life jackets.

cheers

[nigelr]

Interestingly perhaps, I once had the experience of being thrown from my boat during a bar crossing. Instincively dived to the bottom and under the next couple of set waves.
I really believe I would have severly injured my neck, at best, if I had a lifejacket on during that initial instinctive dive, and would certainly would not have been able to avoid the forthcoming sets. Given I had sustained a decent head wound, I may have gotten a lungfull of saltwater or two had I not been able to instinctively dive under the oncoming broken waves. On the other hand, had I been unconscious when I hit the water, the jacket may have kept me alive.
Was the only time I ever forgot my lifejacket, never without it nowadays, as much for superstition as safety, perhaps.
As for children and lifejackets, certainly. And if I have passengers when crossing the bar, their lifeys will most definitely be on!
Cheers.

[Mister]

Ignorant Majority Oldboot? Come to think about yes you might even be right there? Yes some have to be protected from their own ignorance.

Once one state starts and the cry begins about inequality between states then the only option is to lift everybody to the higher bar.

South Oz now leads the way with flares, now required in all "tidal waters" and this will make a few squark!

[cormorant]

If you think it's a nanny state then perhaps it's because some people aren't using common sence when they need or should be.

PS
Do you think you'd be better off not wearing a seat belt in a motor vehicle?

Steve

Seatbelts - well we all have in our rego , green slips insurance that was bourne by the state so seatbelts reduced the cost of injuries to the whole community and since cars are a necessity to move. Boats are a recreation.

Lets put seatbelts in boats

Common sense - well educate and then penalise the nongs who are idiots not the vast majority who can safely weigh up risk and navigate safely.

The consultation process was a joke with a one sided survey and when they recieved complaints they weighted the response against them and implemented what they wanted to start with. Marine industry selling jackets and enforcement agency along with other non related organsations had more weight in the non decision than the very people who would be required to wear them.

Very sad when a life is lost but the statistics they used were flawed - marine accidents are very specific and the causes and results should not be grouped with old data from 2006 backwards. The collection of data is poor.