Rich Kulawiec wrote: I won't rehash the arguments we've already been through but will try to add one that I haven't spotted to this point: my PFD isn't just for me. It's also for the person I'm going to rescue, because (under many circumstances) I won't be able to rescue them without it. Especially if they chose not to wear one. ========= Taking this line of reasoning one step further - wearing a life jacket (LJ) could also be of benefit to the paddling community at large. Were someone to die who was not wearing a LJ, family members could lobby legislators to come up with some poorly written legislation about mandatory LJ use. The pending (already passed?) MA legislation about kayaking instructors needing to be certified is one example. In Illinois, a kayaker who was reported to have cocaine and marijuana in his system went over a notorious killer dam several years ago, reportedly shortly after finishing a telephone conversation. He drowned - as did two brothers who tried to save him. The deceased kayaker's ex-wife mounted an effective lobbying campaign that resulted in passage of a law that required the IL DNR to come up with safety rules that would have prevented use of established dam portages on the very few miles of 'public waters' available to Illinois paddlers. While this administrative rule appears to have been derailed, even one legislator promising a little girl that no one else will die at a dam (or without a LJ, or <fill in the blank>) can have unpleasant and unintended consequences. Stuff happens, and grieving family members may not appreciate or know about the risk analysis done by the paddler prior to finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time....... Erik (who also sometimes paddles without wearing a LJ) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Jan 06 2010 - 04:57:55 PST
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