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(For the Delaware Valley TSCA November 2006 newsletter)
PFDs for PA Boaters (Proposed new rules)©
By Chuck Sutherland
(E-mail:
skimmer@enter.net)
Efforts are under way in the U.S.
(PA, MA) and Canada to make PFD use mandatory for folks on the water in
small boats. The public comment period for the proposed rule changes in
PA will run from October 14, 2006 to November 14, 2006. Rule making
decisions will be made in January 2007 and will take effect upon
publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
There are two possible options
currently on the table. In the lesser case, boaters in watercraft under
16 ft and all canoes and kayaks will be required to wear PFDs at all
times on the water in the cold months of the year (October through
May). Alternatively, the PA Fish and Boat Commission may vote to
require boaters to wear their PFDs year round on the water (see item
#188 at www.fish.state.pa.us/reg398.htm).
Statistics and dissent
In spite of years of effort in the
U.S. and Canada, state and federal agencies have been unable to
convince the boating public to wear PFDs on the water. At present, PFD
use by adult boaters remains low (21% Canada, ~ 13% in the U.S.). In
the U.S., many adults won’t wear PFDs even to set a good example
for children in their boats. In this way, we are training the next
generation of boaters to carry on their distain for PFDs.
Some US statistics indicate that 7 of
10 boating fatalities occur with boats under 20 ft in length. Drowning
is the most common cause of death and in nearly 85% of all
boating-related drownings the victims were not wearing PFDs. Alcohol
was involved in about a third of those cases and 9 of 10 victims were
male. Most drownings occurred within 10 feet of shore or
“safety”. The largest percentage of deaths, relative to the
number of boats on the water, occurred during the off season when the
water was cold.
Drowning occurs in an average of 20
seconds for children and in less than a minute for adults. Extensive
data on these matters indicate that swimming ability does not correlate
strongly with survival in the water. This may be because panic-induced
or cold-induced gasping (inhaling water) precludes swimming even if the
victim briefly returns to the surface. To rephrase that, without a PFD
and regardless of their known swimming ability, some victims do not
return to the surface after accidental entry into the water.
Arguments against PFD use include
confidence in one’s swimming ability, lack of comfort or mobility
in a PFD, and fear of the “wimp” factor. PFDs are
considered “too hot” in summer weather. Boaters
“don’t need PFDs” because they are staying near
shore, they are expert boaters, they have had boating courses, they are
with other boaters, etc. Statistics, no matter how dramatic, will never
convince the U.S. boating public to routinely use PFDs on the water.
For information on PFD use, carry out a Google search [pfd use U.S.
Canada].
A recent sad case
On September 19, 2006, at Avon Beach
on Cape Hatteras, NC, a 35-yr-old man borrowed a “Sit-on-Top,
SOT” kayak (short, stable boat with a large outside cockpit) from
a neighbor and went out to do a little surfing. He capsized on the
first wave about 50 yards offshore. His friends said… “He
was thrown from the boat”. They saw him holding onto the
boat and went down to the beach to help him. When they got there, they
saw the kayak, but the victim could not be found (information provided
by District Ranger John McCutcheon, Cape Hatteras National Seashore).
The wave height was 3-4 feet breaking across a bar, water temperature 71º F, air temperature 78º
F, with light SSW (along shore) wind. Visibility was clear to the
horizon. The victim was a novice paddler, a weak swimmer, was dressed
in knee-length shorts and was not wearing a PFD. He had had some
alcohol earlier in the day. His body was recovered a few days later.
The most dangerous moment in the
unfolding of an accident is the moment when the victim enters the
water. Without a PFD, momentum drives the victim underwater and
momentary surprise and panic often causes the victim to gasp, even in
warm water. The victim’s ability to swim can not prevent rapid
drowning. There is no going back for the PFD.
Cold water immersion
As water temperature falls, another
factor enters the picture. Boaters dressed in street clothes, who are
suddenly immersed in cold water, experience a reflex (involuntary)
gasping response. Without a PFD, the victim inhales water while briefly
submerged. As in the Cape Hatteras case, victims are also then seen for
a minute or two at the surface before disappearing from sight. Even
nearby boaters can not respond quickly enough to save or even reach
such victims. The gasping response, along with immediate increases in
heart rate and blood pressure, is called cold shock.
Conclusions
In the U.S., Canada and many other
countries, there is wide spread stubborn resistance to wearing PFDs on
all manner of small boats throughout the year. This is the case even
though there can be no justifiable argument on any grounds for at least
wearing them when boating on cold water. Accidents don’t provide
Fair Warning! Instead, they catch us when our backs are turned. Despite
our best efforts, such accidents can not be eliminated. The best we can
do is to prepare ourselves to respond effectively to the challenge. I
routinely wear my PFD on the water. I refuse to die without a fight!
References:
PFD use studies
http://www.wearalifejacket.com/
More: under Google Search enter [pfd use U.S. Canada]
Cold water boating
http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/TP/Tp13822/menu.htm
http://www.enter.net/~skimmer/coldwater.html
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