Just received notice of House Bill 1988: Kali's Law (named in honor of a 16 year old girl thrown from a fishing boat and subsequently run over because the out-of-control driver wasn't using the kill switch safety lanyard).

It "requires the operator of a motorboat under 26 feet in length to use the engine cutoff switch if the boat is equipped with one by the manufacturer."

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=HB1988

good

Hard to enforce but I like the idea.

I don't see it making it to become a law

Not sure it should be a law. But, it's smart to use one. Not like it's expensive or difficult to use.

What he said.

Not really, you see the big motor running, and nobody in or around the driver seat, they're not wearing it.

I think this is a no-brainer. But enforcement may be challenging.

my boat isn't equipped.

Tragic but how many incidents involving a boat operator not using the kill cord are there? We don't need a new law for every tragedy. I could see a requirement for a boat being on plane but not at trolling speeds.

This^^^

Well, yeah, in that case it would be easy...

Won't be hard to enforce. Just look for the guys running with no life jacket. 90% of them will not be using their kill switch. When I was younger, dumber and bullet proof, I still attached the kill switch to a belt loop or put it around my wrist. Very few do, though.

I think you'd be surprised by the statistics. Very few people get thrown from boats and are injured/die while wearing a kill switch. In fact, the majority of folks who die in non-collision boating accidents aren't wearing kill swithces or life jackets.