Safety Matters

Wear your life jacket (PFD) at all times. Keep an eye on the weather and act accordingly.

Match your riding style to your level of endurance and ability. Avoid risks that could cause personal injury or property damage.

Become thoroughly familiar with the way your PWC handles. Learn its stopping distances and turning radius early on during your first rides. Learning to use the power, thrust and maneuverability to best advantage make you a better and safer rider. It better equips you to handle situations that call for quick and appropriate action.

Become familiar with the area in which you ride. Learn the location of hazardous objects in the water.

Become aware of the PWC's capacity limits by checking the label on the craft or the owner's manual.

Jumping the wakes of passing boats creates special risks. You may forget to be aware of traffic on the other side of the vessel. It is also easy to misjudge speed and the other boat operator's intent. Heading too close to the rear of another boat may scare or anger its captain or passengers, since they may not understand either the capabilities of a personal watercraft or your intent.

Most states now prohibit wake-jumping due to the deaths of PWC operators who failed to use good judgment. Law enforcement officials - even in states where wake-jumping is not specifically prohibited - consider it to be reckless operation and will cite an offender. Know your local regulations!

Reckless Operation

Reckless operation is when a boat is operated carelessly in willful disregard of the rights, safety or property of others. Violation of the law carries a stiff penalty if convicted.

Unsafe operation of a boat occurs when a person operates a boat in a manner that endangers or would be likely to endanger a person or property of another person.

Examples of reckless or unsafe operation include, but are not limited to:

• Riding on the bow, gunwale, or transom of a powerboat or PWC under way, when such position is not protected by railing or other reasonable deterrent to falling overboard; or riding in a position or manner which is obviously dangerous.
• Maneuvering towed skiers, or devices, so as to pass the towline over another vessel or its skier.
• Operating under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics.

Other actions, such as speeding in confined or restricted areas, "buzzing" or "wetting down" others, or skiing at prohibited times or in restricted areas can also be construed to be reckless or negligent operation.