Chicago boaters may be required to wear life jackets
If Chicago alderman James Balcer (11th ward) get his way Chicago boaters will be required to wear life jackets on Chicago waterways.
In 2006, almost 5,000 boating accidents were reported to the United States Coast Guard. Over 700 deaths resulted from these accidents and approximately 3500 injuries.
Of the boaters killed, approximately 630 were not wearing flotation devices and were riding in boats that were 21 feet long or less. These are boats that the City Council's Police committee have on the radar.
Federal regulations already require life jackets on boats that are 16 feet long or less. However, authorities rarely enforce the requlation.
Lou Sandoval, partner in Chicago Yacht Sales, believes that requiring boaters to wear life jackets is not really addressing the real problem. Sandoval says that there are "no enforceable boater instructions or qualifications for navigating a vessel" on Chicago waterways.
"You can just walk up and buy a boat. "There's no [verifying] your ability to navigate that vessel...Weekend warriors go out...without proper knowledge, imbibe and put themselves in a precarious situation," Sandoval said.
Isaac Carothers (29th ward) who is the Police Committee Chairman, believes that licensing boaters would be a good idea if they can work out training and licensing.
But until that happens, issuing citations to boaters who don't use life jackets may be what's next.
