Why are Lifejackets Required For Jet Skis?

[sonny]

Please don't flame me, as if I'm going against established rights & wrongs of other jet ski users, or if I've lived under a rock etc, because I'm asking to understand as much as I am to express an opinion.

I have never sat foot on a jet ski, but my brother-in-law mentioned he may get one but that he'd need to get a life-jacket first, even though he can swim very well. I had no idea they were required by law. I am 100% in favor of personal responsibility where it regards respecting others (not aggravating swimmers, canoe users etc), but I honestly can't understand why the law requires a jet ski operator to wear a life-jacket when it's only their only safety that's at stake. That seems, frankly, communist.

I'm guessing the law requires it for the same reason the law requires seat-belt usage in cars--because injuries raise insurance premiums for others. I can think of no other reason, yet at the same time here motorcycle owners aren't required to wear helmets--they've successfully argued that such would be a violation of their civil liberties.

So what's different about jet skis? Also, is this for all states in the US?

[webb]

They require it because if you are going fast on the water and you hit a wave the wrong way you can go flying off your jetski and get head injury and possibly get knocked out so if you have one of them on you wont die its like wearing a seatbelt in a car it saves lives and it might save his dont try to change something that works

[iker]

Some idiot was riding a jet ski, fell off and drowned. His family sued the jet ski manufacturer claiming that they were responsible for not telling the idiot that you could drown if you fell off, so they got a law passed requiring everyone to wear a life jacket. That's my guess, anyway.

[corcoran42]

Some idiot was riding a jet ski, fell off and drowned. His family sued the jet ski manufacturer claiming that they were responsible for not telling the idiot that you could drown if you fell off, so they got a law passed requiring everyone to wear a life jacket. That's my guess, anyway.

If people have a lot of accidents on these things and start drowning left and right, that will be tragic, and it will create a huge number of bad situations. The number of lawsuits on the manufacturers will skyrocket, there will be people suing the gov't because a law could have saved the person's life. Then there's the whole messy situation of having to close down the beach for the day while they fish a corpse out of the water--at huge cost to rescue squads. Does visiting a beach where somebody died drowning yesterday seem appealing to many people? It's much easier legally, safe-wise, and cost-wise just having people wear life jackets. Then, if there's an accident then is a jetski that's a hunk of junk, but you're still alive. When you have an impact, you become disoriented, and that will be long enough to make you drown. Why do you think the Navy spends so much time training people to orient themselves when they hit water? When people hit the water suddenly, they get disoriented and drown.