I am not sure what the exact US law presently is, but several years ago,
Canadian law was changed to essentially state:
- one PFD for each person on board, and must fit properly
- the PFD must be in un-damaged condition (ie no tears, holes etc)
- the PFDs have to be available in easy access

Also, the devices able to be certified as PFDs increased to include colours
other than orange, and now include self inflating vests which only count as
a PFD when worn correctly.

some examples:

If you have 4 people on board, 2 children and 2 adults, but only have 4
adult PFDs on board,
then you are in violation.

If during an inspection it takes a while to find the proper number of
properly fitting PFDs, it is considered to be a violation.


The premise behind the modified legislation is reasonable to me, as:
- if a PFD is needed, it can only be used if it is available
- each PFD are designed to float a particular sized person head / face up.
An incorrectly sized PFD can force a person to float face down as is the
case with a child in an adult PFD.
- the inclusion of 'fashion colours' now makes it more acceptable to a
broader group of individuals.

There are bits of legislation that try to defeat Darwinianizm
The next stage would to mandate that all new boats include PFDs as standard
equipment rather than options.

"Keith" wrote in message
...
The NTSB in their bureaucratic wisdom is proposing a rule to require ALL
people on recreational boats to WEAR PFD's ALL the time. Here is a link to
the site, and the e-mail address to send your comments to. Since boating
has
continually gotten safer, I certainly see no need for this. I do support
the
PFD laws for kids and small boats like canoes, kayaks, and PWCs. If you
don't want to end up wearing a life jacket all the time, send it your
comments!
____________________________
http://www.ntsb.gov/academy/CourseInfo/MS701_200408.htm
This site is the NTSB.
They are considering this month a rule to require all on board to wear
PFD's
ALL THE TIME.

Check out the site and then e mail

Holloway, Keith (NTSB)


with whatever comments you have. Be nice!

--


Keith
__
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.