SEATTLE, Wash. — The Coast Guard is implementing a new law this boating season requiring recreational vessels to use engine cut-off switches.
Each year, the Coast Guard receives reports of recreational boaters falling off of or being unexpectedly thrown from their boats.
An emergency cut-off works by attaching a lanyard-style cord from the boater to a switch that turns the engine off if the boater is displaced from the helm.
In the Pacific Northwest in 2019, 26 boating accidents involved boaters being ejected from their vessels.