Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Woodsy
Island Lover...
Evenstar, I do respect your position, but with 20 fatalities in human powered craft, shouldn't we mandate that any user of a human powered craft wear a PFD? I think that would be a great idea! Wearing a Life Jacket while operating a canoe or kayak has been STATISTICALLY PROVEN to save lives!
We have NO FATALITIES of people in canoes or kayaks being run over on Lake Winnipesaukee, or anywhere in NH for that matter.
Woodsy
|
You're not getting my point at all. My point was that high speed boats have a very negative impact on other boaters.
In response to your post:
1.) I don't believe that it was ever even stated that all of those 20 fatalities were caused because none of the victims was wearing a PDF.
2.) It was also never stated how many of those 20 deaths occurred on rivers (as in white water), most of which are not even navitatable for a powerboat. So this data is being used to compare very different types of boating on very different types of water.
3.) Wearing a PDV is much like wearing a helmet on a motorcycle (or while downhill skiing). Both will greatly increase your chances of survival, but if your aren't wearing one, you're the only one who suffers. Not wearing one isn't very smart, but it has no real impact on other boaters (or drivers).
4.) Wearing a PDV is just as important in a powerboat as in a human powered boat.
I'm not sure about fatalities, but paddlers have been seriously hurt but being hit by powerboats, even in NH waters.