04-11-2007, 10:10 PM
LITTLE ROCK - The most prudent rule when it comes to life jackets on Arkansas waters is simple. Wear one.
This isn't spelled out in laws of the state, which are passed by the General Assembly and administered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and several other law enforcement groups. Personal flotation device (PFD) is the official term for life jackets and other items to help persons float in the water.
Boating fatalities seldom, very seldom, include a person wearing a life jacket.
The basics of life jackets in Arkansas:
Every boat must have a wearable type life jacket for each person on board.
A boat 16 feet or longer must also have at least one throwable Type IV PFD on board.
PFDs of all types must be in "good and serviceable condition" and must be "readily accessible." Locked in a storage compartment doesn't count here. The PFDs must be of the proper sizes for persons wearing them. That means kid-size for children, not adult PFDs for the youngsters on board.
Children 12 and younger must wear a PFD on a boat whether it is running or not. Exceptions are inside a houseboat or inside rails on a party barge, cruiser or houseboat if it is not underway.
Everyone on a personal watercraft, sometimes called a jet ski, must wear a PFD, and inflatable types don't qualify here.
Everyone being towed on water skis or other device must wear a PFD, and, again, inflatable types don't qualify.
For more details on life jackets and other Arkansas boating rules, a free publication called "The Handbook of Arkansas Boating Laws and Responsibilities" is available at all Arkansas Game and Fish Commission offices.
This isn't spelled out in laws of the state, which are passed by the General Assembly and administered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and several other law enforcement groups. Personal flotation device (PFD) is the official term for life jackets and other items to help persons float in the water.
Boating fatalities seldom, very seldom, include a person wearing a life jacket.
The basics of life jackets in Arkansas:
Every boat must have a wearable type life jacket for each person on board.
A boat 16 feet or longer must also have at least one throwable Type IV PFD on board.
PFDs of all types must be in "good and serviceable condition" and must be "readily accessible." Locked in a storage compartment doesn't count here. The PFDs must be of the proper sizes for persons wearing them. That means kid-size for children, not adult PFDs for the youngsters on board.
Children 12 and younger must wear a PFD on a boat whether it is running or not. Exceptions are inside a houseboat or inside rails on a party barge, cruiser or houseboat if it is not underway.
Everyone on a personal watercraft, sometimes called a jet ski, must wear a PFD, and inflatable types don't qualify here.
Everyone being towed on water skis or other device must wear a PFD, and, again, inflatable types don't qualify.
For more details on life jackets and other Arkansas boating rules, a free publication called "The Handbook of Arkansas Boating Laws and Responsibilities" is available at all Arkansas Game and Fish Commission offices.