Should you have to wear a life jacket?

[uncle 19]

You can bet that the law to wear lifejackets is coming because if there's one thing politicians are good at it's legislating common sense. And there will be many gray areas in the law just like any other hunting or fishing rules.

[brookiebuster 117]

I always wear mine.

[Guest bigpikeseeker]

Should it be required by law?...absolutely not. Is wearing a vest a wise thing to do?....absolutely. It should be your choice whether you wish to resemble a bobber or an anchor, and I don't need some self-righteous pointy headed politician to tell me what I have to do. With freedom comes the opportunity to make stupid choices and in the quest to legislate "protection" for you from yourself the result is always loss of free choice. Some of you here who are quick to turn to laws to fix things scare the hell outta us who still believe you should be allowed to be stupid and pay the consequences for it.

[gsambray 172]

Shouldnt be law to wear a pfd in a boat. Most of us have to common sense to to think hey its rough i should put it on or even calm gound 45mph its a good idea but I do think it should be mandatory in a conoe. They tip easy and doesnt take much. Im gonna google about say the drownings in the

past five years and i bey at least 80% of them were from a canoe tipping over. I am a very experienced paddler and love it. Running rapids, solo trips and can handle a lot of rough water but I wouldnt be caught dead in a canoe wirhout my pfd

[whoreleur 13]

I usually just where a pair of heavy duty water wings. That way I can keep my beer afloat if I fall in.

[gsambray 172]

Ha ha ha ^^^ ha ha

[fishingfinn 42]

What about when I'm on my 40' yacht with helipad? Should I still wear my lifejacket all time, or just when I'm having a leak over the side?

Where do you draw the line on boat size and life jackets and how would you enforce it? I believe that while all small vessels are under power life jackets should be mandatory. Plain and simple they save lives. I was capsized in Lake Ontario a few years back. Me and my buddy were treading water for 4 hours before an OPP boat found us. We would have been dead if we didn't have life jackets on.

[Guest LIVE2FiSh4EvA]

Lifejackets save lives.... Pretty simple

[uncle 19]

You can bet that the law to wear lifejackets is coming because if there's one thing politicians are good at it's legislating common sense. And there will be many gray areas in the law just like any other hunting or fishing rules.

[uncle 19]

.....

[Bear 77]

Roger said it all. In my boat if you dont wear a life jacket, we aren t leaving the dock.

Bear

[Monks 164]

Ya its not too often you hear in the news... OPP divers recovered the body of so and so wearing his life jacket on or in said river or lake....

[Guest bigpikeseeker]

I don't think there is any question that PDFs save lives...nobody here is disputing that. The question is should it be mandated by law. Just because something makes sense doesn't mean you run out a pass a law on it and removing ones freedom of choice on the matter. Also, politicians are NOT good at legislating common sense. What they are good at is passing laws that actually remove common sense from decision making thusly dumbing down the public...don't worry, we're the government and we're here to take care of you....

[Guest cmcrawfo]

I don't think there is any question that PDFs save lives...nobody here is disputing that. The question is should it be mandated by law. Just because something makes sense doesn't mean you run out a pass a law on it and removing ones freedom of choice on the matter. Also, politicians are NOT good at legislating common sense. What they are good at is passing laws that actually remove common sense from decision making thusly dumbing down the public...don't worry, we're the government and we're here to take care of you....

Exactly. There are lots of things that are good ideas, and save lives, but they are not good things to regulate. Consider this;

The life saving society reports that if everyone wore a life jacket they could save approx. 100 lives / annum.

Annually, in Canada, 36 500 people die from diseases directly linked to smoking and 3800 people die as a direct result of obesity.

Are we going to mandate that people cant smoke? or eat certain foods? No. Yet, these people cost the system far more (individually) than the cost of search and recovery. The cost of regulation and enforcement would likely be so disproportionate to the gain for the greater good... it will never fly.

[Guest Angler AV]

Exactly. There are lots of things that are good ideas, and save lives, but they are not good things to regulate. Consider this;

The life saving society reports that if everyone wore a life jacket they could save approx. 100 lives / annum.

Annually, in Canada, 36 500 people die from diseases directly linked to smoking and 3800 people die as a direct result of obesity.

Are we going to mandate that people cant smoke? or eat certain foods? No. Yet, these people cost the system far more (individually) than the cost of search and recovery. The cost of regulation and enforcement would likely be so disproportionate to the gain for the greater good... it will never fly.

Very well said. I am unable to be so diplomatic when faced with a nonsense idea like making wearing lifejackets mandatory. I believe in freedom of choice so my boat will leave with lifejackets on or off depending on who I have in there and what their preference is.

[Guest Angler AV]

Exactly. There are lots of things that are good ideas, and save lives, but they are not good things to regulate. Consider this;

The life saving society reports that if everyone wore a life jacket they could save approx. 100 lives / annum.

Annually, in Canada, 36 500 people die from diseases directly linked to smoking and 3800 people die as a direct result of obesity.

Are we going to mandate that people cant smoke? or eat certain foods? No. Yet, these people cost the system far more (individually) than the cost of search and recovery. The cost of regulation and enforcement would likely be so disproportionate to the gain for the greater good... it will never fly.

Very well said. I am unable to be so diplomatic when faced with a nonsense idea like making wearing lifejackets mandatory. I believe in freedom of choice so my boat will leave with lifejackets on or off depending on who I have in there and what their preference is.

[Monks 164]

Numbers and stats are great until you are one. So lets see... I decide to be "dumb" and not wear a life jacket or tether switch while my motor is under power. I hit a floating log, rock or steering cable breaks. Just sayin. I am tossed out of boat, then you or maybe you and your family are struck by an out of control boat and hurt or killed. Yeah I agree about politicians and the such. Just put on your life jacket and kill switch at least while you are driving. Enough said. Really... Like driving without a seatbelt or driving an talking on a cell phone, just a bad idea. People don't get hurt boating with a life jacket and kill switch usually, and it's not you it's who you could hurt.

[MILLER 77]

Like someone already mentioned, wearing a life jacket is similar to wearing a seat belt in a car. Not a bad idea to wear one.