ANCHORAGE (AP) - A new federal law will require operators of recreational boats less than 26 feet in length to use an engine cut-off switch with a safety link that attaches the operator to the control device to shut off the engine if the operator is knocked from the helm.
The new law applies only to boats built beginning in January 2020.
Boats with the primary helm inside an enclosed cabin are exempt from the new law.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it receives reports every year about recreational vessel operators who fall off of or are suddenly thrown off their boat.
“During these incidents, the boat continues to operate with no one in control of the vessel, leaving the operator stranded in the water as the boat continues on course, or the boat begins to circle the person in the water eventually striking them, often with the propeller,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The Coast Guard said the engine cut-off switch must be attached to the operator’s clothing or personal flotation device, such as with a coiled lanyard or an electronic fob.
An operator is not required to use the shut-off switch when idling or docking the vessel.
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