Watercrafts are fun, but remember the rules
This summer brings along many opportunities for fun and games, including the use of Jet Skis and other personal watercraft.
Along with the fun, there are also regulations one must follow in order to use them.
“The requirements to operate a personal watercraft are the same as a boat. A person must be 18 or older to drive alone. Persons between the ages of 16 and 17 must have a certificate of watercraft course completion to drive alone, and those from 14 to 15 must also be under adult supervision when operating the machinery,” said Brian Hirischi, owner and manager of Fun Time.
Anyone operating his or her own personal watercraft must also have proof of insurance in order to operate the machinery legally, Hirischi said.
“As always, life jackets [or PFDs] are required for anyone who wishes to use such watercraft,” Hirischi said.
He said there are no new rules or regulations affecting Utah this summer, but Utah was one of the first [states] to jump on the bandwagon to make regulations regarding the age limit and education.
“There might be some media hype about Utah bringing in new legislation on regulations, but it looks like we are on the win on that side,” he said. “Some national and state parks are rumored to have new regulations but probably not in Utah.”
Hirischi said most of the new regulations are in regard to the level of noise and emissions the watercraft are putting into the atmosphere, but scientific studies are being done to discern whether it is a real issue.
“Another reason for all the hype is the rate of accidents that occur with personal watercraft,” Hirischi said. “But that is mostly from the extremists who are trying to reduce the use of personal watercraft.”
He said every year the rate of accidents involving personal watercraft goes down along with the amount of emissions they produce, and in actuality more people are killed in canoes and kayaks than on Jet Skis.
“For people who are renting a boat or a Jet Ski, there is legislation being passed for exemption of a boating license, other than that the only other difference between an owner and a renter is the insurance on the vehicle,” Hirischi said.
He said people who are renting are insured through the renter of the vehicle.
“Of course if any employees see any violation of vehicle use, they have two options on how to handle the situation,” he said. “They can either go out and take back the rented machine or they can give the violator their one and only warning.”
Hirischi said it is also an option for the employees to call the park police and report the misuse of the vehicle to them. Most often the misuse is either violating the 150-foot rule (which states vehicles must stay at least 10 feet away from each other at all times), or the user is not wearing a life jacket, he said.
“This means that if someone decides to use their vehicle to splash another, they are in violation of the 150-foot rule,” he said.
Hirischi said the state park is continually patrolling the lake and will give tickets to any and all violators they see.