With the last long-weekend of summer just around the corner, police departments are putting out boating safety tips. Boats need to have lifejackets for every person on board and depending on the size, boats need to have flares and a fire extinguisher on board.
Standard safety equipment includes having a water-tight flashlight, a bucket to bail out water and a whistle to signal for help in case your horn doesn’t work. Also, police are reminding adults there’s an age restriction on how much horsepower a motorboat can have that lets young people operate it. Young people under 12 can drive a boat that has a maximum 10 horsepower engine.
Twelve to 15-year-olds can operate a boat with up to 40 horsepower and there is no horsepower restriction for those 16 and above. For some years now, everyone who drives a boat needs a Pleasure Craft Operators Card.
