So I guess the next law will be that everybody in a boat will have to wear a helmet

Get over it, it's the law.

This is a forum and the law affects all of us. If you don't have anything to add, move on.

It would be so easy to put the kill switch under the seat. It is a compression switch you leave the seat it kills the motor. Most ridding mowers have them . They work! They can be put under both seats,

"We are the government and we are here to protect you from yourself"

How would you dock the boat?
How would you anchor in heavy seas or current when you put motor in neutral but for sure need it running?

A kill switch is now and always has been a good idea. There are no arguments against it. I dont understand the resistance. My boat is over the 26ft requirement I have always worn the kill switch. For decades.

But if you dont like the law dont do it. Problem will fix itself.....

It would reduce far more fatalities than a kill switch if the maximum automobile speed limit was 45mph, but no one wants to drive that slow. It would also save a lot more lives if everyone on a boat was required to wear a life jacket whether the boat was running or not, but no one wants their life jacket on the entire time they are in a boat.

When I'm in a bass boat with one of my buddies and he's going 65, I want him to have the kill switch attached, but if I'm in a pontoon going 8mph, I see no need for it.

I want to see the real stats. I would like to know how many fatalities could have realistically been avoided over the last 10 years by using a kill switch. This debate reminds me of the "Assult Weapons" debate. When you look at the stats, rifles are one of the least used weapons for murder, yet the liberal media would have you thinking they are the biggest evil in the US. In 2018 there were 6603 murders by handgun, 1515 by knife, 443 by blunt objects and 297 by rifle. Let's see some similar stats about kill switches. Sometimes reality does not support the reaction.


There have been a number of comments like this on this and other threads, but I don't see people saying they refuse to wear a kill switch. We are just having a discussion about whether or not we agree with the law.

The kill switch law will only work if the operator is also wearing a life jacket. If the operator is thrown overboard without a life jacket and no kill switch he is likely to drown before he can swim to shore or be rescued. If he is wearing a life jacket and using a kill switch, he may be able to swim to the boat, and climb back in or at least hold on till he is rescued. No life jacket and using a kill switch only improves his chances a minute amount. Water temp will decide if he can swim to the boat or not.

It is not a miracle law, but since so many people don't have common sense nowadays, it is needed.

I still don't see the heartburn, life jackets and kill switches have been required for years in fishing tournaments and it seems most posters here are professional fishermen.

Don't wear the life jacket and use the kill switch because it is law, do it for YOURSELF!

That's part of my point. We don't have a law requiring PFDs to be worn while under way, but we do now have a law requiring kill switches to be attached. It doesn't make sense.

It's just a matter of time. Life vests are already required on jet skis and on kids in boats while underway. If the drownings continue to rise, you can bet life vests will be required for all operators just like fishing tournaments today.

Fatalities have been on a downward, not upward trend. Here are two charts to prove it. The first chart is Texas, the second is national.

I have never seen any report that the operator was thrown from the controls. Yes I read what the operator said but what he said is vague. I would assume if he lost control then it would have been mentioned in one of the many articles on it. Was the operator thrown from the controls? Did he circle around and try to retrieve her and left the motor running while trying to help her? Does he even know how the kill switch works? People are just making assumptions to defend their belief and can't base it on any known fact. There is in fact a device that will kill the motor if ANY passenger goes overboard, not just the driver. Why not make that a requirement? Why would a boat over a certain length not be just as dangerous without a kill switch. Why if the boat didn't come with one you don't have to put one on? If this is such a huge danger to the public why would they not fully protect the public? The family made enough noise and found someone sympathetic who decided that they would pass the law with little or no complaints from boaters.

I stuck myself with a hook once. I am going to ask for them to ban lures from having sharp points on them now.

You're right. Get your facts right.
You really should research he subject before making wrong comments. It did not pass easily, it took two sessions. As far as the operator being thrown from the controls, it was a center console boat and he was thrown to the floor and couldn't get up in time to get control of the boat before it hit her. A kill switch WOULD have saved her life.



I agree with you on banning fishing lures with sharp points. Seems some can't handle them without sticking themselves.

I hope you get over it soon because I'm tired of your unrelenting bantering on the subject.

Get over it...you made your point.

This is how they all end up,.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz