Did you know that five states in the U.S. have created new mandatory life jacket wear laws in cold-weather months? Here’s a quick Go-To Guide (provided by each state agency’s web site):
Connecticut: Life jackets must be worn by anyone in a manually propelled vessel from October 1 through May 31 (must be Type I, II, III, V or V-hybrid).
Maine: All persons canoeing or kayaking on the Saco River between Hiram Dam and the Atlantic Ocean between January 1st and June 1st must be wearing a life jacket.
Massachusetts: Lifejackets must be worn from September 15 - May 15 when operating a canoe or kayak.
New York: No owner or operator of a pleasure vessel less than twenty-one feet, including rowboats, canoes, and kayaks shall permit its operation, between November 1st and May 1st, unless each person on board such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United States Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device of an appropriate size when such vessel is underway.
Pennsylvania: Beginning November 1 and lasting through April 30, boaters are required to wear a life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or any canoe or kayak.
Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. It’s important that everyone wears a life jacket while on the water. In 2011, drowning was the reported cause of death in almost three-fourths of all boating fatalities. Of those, 84 percent were reported as not wearing their life jackets. Life jacket wear is one of the most effective and simple life-saving strategies for safe recreational boating. No matter what time of year, “Wear It!”
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