If you are driving in an area that falls under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers or a federal, state, or local parking authority, different rules may apply. NEBRASKA: Children under the age of 13 must wear life jackets at all times, except when hunting waterfowl in an anchored vessel. Personal watercraft operators also need it. Fines are $50. Keep in mind that there are country-specific regulations that still apply. So check the regulations in your area before sailing with a child on board. We will review the status-specific information in Chapter 9. NORTHERN MARINA ISLANDS: Water skiers and personal watercraft operators must wear life jackets. The Coast Guard recommends and many states require life jackets: OKLAHOMA: Children under the age of 12 on or under a 26-foot boat must wear a life jacket. Those who have PWC must also wear it. Fines are $201. NEW HAMPSHIRE: Children under the age of 12 must wear a life jacket when the ship travels. Those who are on PWC or towed need it too.

Fines can be up to $60. The most common reasons why people don`t wear life jackets are that it`s too hot, or it`s going to ruin their tan line, or they`re just not comfortable. PENNSYLVANIA: Boaters must wear all life jackets on vessels under 16 feet from November 1 to April 30. Boaters under the age of 12 must wear life jackets on any vessel under 20 feet, including kayaks and canoes. Anyone who has a personal watercraft or is towed must also wear one. Fines are $50. SOUTH CAROLINA: All children under the age of 13 must wear a life jacket on a ship under 16 feet traveling. Similarly, anyone who has a personal watercraft must wear one. Fines can range from $25 to $200. There is no excuse not to wear a life jacket on the water! Here are some more important rules to remember when it comes to PFDs. It is also important that a child`s life jacket fits properly.

When choosing a PFD the size of an infant or child, care should always be considered. After buying a PFD, you should also test the fit in safe and shallow water. Life jackets for infants and young children (less than 50 pounds) should have a crotch strap to ensure a tight fit, as well as a large floating collar for the head restraint. A great way to test a child`s life jacket is to pick up the child from the shoulders of the PFD. If you have the right fit, the PFD will not slip over the child`s chin and ears. Before buying a life jacket for a child, always check the user`s label. The user`s label indicates the weight range for which the life jacket is approved. This table provides an overview of the sizes and weight ranges of life jackets. COLORADO: Children aged 12 and under must wear a PFD when their boat is on the water. The exception is when they are in a closed cabin or under deck. Also personal watercraft operators and passengers. Water skiers and people on water tarpaulins, surfboards and similar equipment, when towed behind a boat, must carry some kind of flotation.

This does not necessarily have to be approved by the USCG. Expect fines of $50 or more for violations. Boaters enjoy the feeling of sun and spraying. It is therefore tempting to go boating without wearing a life jacket, especially on sunny days. But most boat-related drownings occur on sunny days. NORTH DAKOTA: If a boat is less than 27 feet tall, all passengers under the age of 10 must wear a PFD. Anyone towed or in a personal watercraft also needs it. However, federal law states that a child under the age of 13 must wear a PFD. This rule does not amend or replace existing law in states that have life jacket laws, it only applies to states that do not have laws. The following list provides the latest laws in your state. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: If a boat is 16 feet or taller, but the operator is 18 feet or younger, anyone under the age of 18 must wear a PFD.

Anyone 12 years of age or younger must wear one at all times, unless it is under deck or in a cabin. Finally, anyone on board a vessel in the area from the southernmost point of Fletcher`s Cove in the Georgetown Channel of the Potomac River upstream of the Demarcation Line from the District of Columbia to Little Falls must wear a Coast Guard-approved personal swimming device at all times. Fines are $50. Please note that these laws give boaters the minimum age to wear a life jacket. It is still up to parents to decide whether a child should wear a life jacket, even in situations where the law does not require it. By now, we should all know how important it is to wear a personal swimming device when boating. But even though they`ve been available for so long, there are still plenty of boaters who don`t use these vital tools. Almost half of boaters in the UK do not wear life jackets.