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BOATING SAFETY
Life Jackets (PFDs)
A life jacket, or personal flotation device (PFD), can save
your life if you wear it.
In Oregon, 85 percent of the people who drown in boating accidents
would have
survived had they worn life jackets.
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It's common sense and it's the law. Children
age 12 and under boating in Oregon
or Washington waters are generally
required to wear a properly sized PFD. |
Oregon State Law
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No person shall operate a boat on Oregon waters with a child
age 12 and under unless the child is wearing a U.S. Coast
Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD)/life jacket, of the
appropriate size, while the boat is underway. Children on an open deck
or cockpit of sailboats, motorized and non-motorized vessels (canoes,
kayaks, rafts) underway must wear a life jacket at all times. |
Exceptions:
- While child is below deck, or in an enclosed cabin of a
boat.
- When the child is on a sailboat and tethered by lifeline or
harness that is attached to the sailboat.
- When the child is on a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected
passenger-carrying vessel operating in navigable waters of the U.S.
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Carriage Requirements
The number and type of life jackets you are required to carry
depends on boat length and the number of persons on board.
- Boats less than 16 feet in length, and canoes and kayaks of
any length, must carry one wearable Type I, II or III for each person
on board, including water skiers. Under the new law, a water skier age
12 and under must wear a life jacket at all times.
- All boats 16 feet or longer, must carry one Type I, II, III
or V for each person on board and one Type IV throwable.
- A Type V PFD may be carried instead of any required PFD if the Type V is approved for
the activity for which the boat is being used. Type Vs must be
worn to meet the carriage requirements. Note: Type V is not approved
for use on personal watercraft
- Anyone operating or riding a personal watercraft (Jet Skis,
Wave Runners) must wear a Type I, II or III life jacket. A PWC riders should
wear PFD's that are impact rated.
- A water skier must wear a PFD or have one on board the tow
boat.
Recommended Use
Infants, children and non-swimmers should wear life jackets at
all times while on docks and other places near open water (ponds,
lakes, creeks, rivers, pools). When boating in cold water, life jackets
should be worn at all times. Cold water can numb extremities and limit
reflexes quickly, making it difficult to put on a life jacket.
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Types of Life Jackets and How
They're Used |
