Here we go again in Australia: A small amount of irresponsible jet ski operators have become such a nuisance; the water police are cracking down on everyone. Transport Safety Victoria (TSV) has added more water police to the known hot spots in order to catch and fine the riders who aren’t obeying the laws, according to OZPWC.
There have been many PWC crashes and other negative incidents involving personal watercraft in the waters in Victoria. These numbers have risen during the last couple of years so the TSV has taken harsh measures to reduce the amount of PWC related problems in order to get careless riders to comply with the laws set forth. In December and January, there were 10 personal watercraft crashes and three of them resulted in serious injuries. That’s bad, considering that in the years 2015-2016, there were 5 crashes and only one in 2014-2015.
Peter Corcoran, Director of Maritime Safety at TSV proclaims,“To combat this trend, we are putting more resources into compliance. Riders, and all those on or being towed by the PWC, must wear a life jacket, keep their distance from others, travel at a safe speed and keep a good lookout at all times.”
It is unfortunate that a small number of riders have caused so many problems, that the majority of PWC operators are frowned upon. PWC manufacturers and riders have come up with a neat idea, which is called a Responsible Riding Code of Conduct. By signing the code, some of the pressure is taken off the reputable riders by helping them set a good example for other jet ski operators and the people along the beaches, like swimmers and regular beach goers.
A copy of the rules and laws can be found HERE. It is quite a list and yet very straightforward. The laws are comprised of items an experienced operator should already follow and are great for new riders as well. We suggest checking them out, if for no other reason, just to refresh your memory.
