I am about to purchase a personal watercraft. Are there any safety tips I should be aware of?
Personal watercraft, like a car, isn’t safe it isn’t going to be operated with precaution and safety. When using watercraft on the American waters, you should keep in mind that it isn’t safe at all if you don’t know what to do in case of an emergency.
Jeanne Salvatore, Vice President of Consumer Affairs for the Insurance Information Institute in New York has six safety tips for boaters like you:
- After using drugs or drinking an alcoholic beverage, avoid operating your vehicle.
- Try to stay to the right of other watercraft
- Finishing vessels, sailboats and commercial vessels have the right-of-way.
- Know how our watercraft operates
- Be aware of local navigational marks, signs and boating laws
- Protect yourself by wearing eye protection, gloves, wetsuit, and a personal floatation device
Salvatore claims, “Sticking with those safety rules is smart, but one other important thing to remember is that that when you’re out on the water, your life is at stake, so don’t be careless”.
Justing Glover, of the Florida Department of financial Services recommends for watercraft owners not to use their personal watercraft until “you check with your insurance representative to see if you’re adequately covered”.
Owning watercraft isn’t always safe. That’s why you should always make sure that you are following the appropriate and necessary steps in order to avoid any unfortunate events from occurring. When owning a personal watercraft with a family (with children), you should follow the following tips:
- Make sure that children know what to do in case of an emergency
- Purchase personal floatation devices for everyone in the watercraft, including a spare.
- Make sure that all people know how to swim or at least what direction to go to in case something happens to the watercraft.
- Make sure that your personal watercraft is safe and ready for take-off.