(January 23, 2006) — A new state law aimed at reining in the use of personal watercraft by children has toughened requirements for riders under the age of 14.
The law, which took effect Jan. 1, increased the minimum age for operating a personal watercraft unsupervised to 14 from 10 and will eventually ban operation by children under the age of 14 altogether.
"Untrained kids don't know the rules, and they are hauling their friends at 60 mph, so the potential of someone getting hurt goes up," said Bryan Williams, a staff officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
New York was one of three states that allowed children as young as 10 to operate watercraft without supervision. State law requires all personal watercraft operators to have a boating safety certificate.
The new law, signed by Gov. George Pataki in July, mandates that children ages 10 to 13 operating a personal watercraft must be accompanied by someone who is at least 18 years old on a vessel within 500 feet in plain sight of the child. The adult also must have a boating safety certificate.
The law will ban operation by children 13 and younger after Jan. 1, 2009.
Children riding personal watercraft are a problem the Coast Guard and Auxiliary see every summer, Williams said. Such watercraft can reach top speeds very quickly, he said. "It's easy to hop on a (personal watercraft) and go. ... They are almost like four-wheelers in the way you steer them, and the speeds are almost the same. We just want to make sure that the rules of the road are followed."
Personal watercraft accounted for 25 percent of all accidents reported in the nation to the Coast Guard in 2004. More than 950 people were injured in accidents in 2004, 331 of which were 19 or younger, according to the Coast Guard's annual Recreational Boating Report.
Nita Boles, spokeswoman for the Coalition of Parents and Families for Personal Watercraft Safety, said the state's new law is a step in the right direction.
"I'm glad to see this for the sake of the kids," said Boles, whose 16-year-old daughter was killed in a personal watercraft accident in Texas nearly 8 years ago. "If you truly look at the extent of the injuries, it shouldn't be 14, but 16."
According to the organization's Web site, nine children ages 6 to 17 were killed in personal watercraft accidents from July 4 to Aug. 4, 2004.
"These are not toys, just like all-terrain vehicles. Parents and adults need to be proactive," Boles said.
JBLACKWELL@DemocratandChronicle.com http://www.democratandchronicle.com/...0315/1002/NEWS 
Linear Mode
