Lake Martin Topics: Interesting.

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	Name:	Tallyman -
	Subject:	Interesting.
	Date:	6/11/2008 3:34:56 PM

Neither Georgia nor Florida has a regulation on kill switches for boats because they recognize that the juice is not worth the squeeze. Florida has a lot more boats than Alabama. If they contributed to safety II suppose they would be required. Both states have separate statutes requiring "cut off" switches) on personal watercraft. Perhaps those states also believe that personal responsibility has a role.

Many years ago, (I am 65 and have been running boats for 55 years), most outboards were small and did not have steering wheels. If one fell out of the boat, the motor tended to cause the boat to go in an ever tightening circle, imperiling the person in the water, if he was operating the boat alone. I recall reading in the newspaper once, around 1955, about someone who fell out of a boat and who was thereafter struck by his own boat. (He was cut severely by his propeller but not killed). Perhaps there have been a few similar instances. Maybe there is a database of boating accidents and you can look up the number of people who have been saved by wearing a kill switch on a boat or injured because they didn't. I assert again, you are unlikely to find any.

Fining someone $150 (mentioned on this forum) for not wearing a useless device breeds disrespect for the law and those who enforce it.

I have the greatest respect for you guys and I am glad you are around the lake. You are given a lot of discretion in your work and I suggest that you put it to better uses than harassing people about kill switches. For the record, I don't believe I need one for my 25 foot pontoon boat.