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As summer heats up, kids may be eager to go for a spin on jet-powered personal watercraft. But emergency medicine experts are issuing a stark new warning: parents whose children are not old enough to drive a car should think twice about letting them operate personal watercraft.
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University of Florida trauma surgeons say because personal watercraft can reach highway speeds and require the same quick decision-making skills as driving a car, they often prove too dangerous for young operators. U-F experts say children involved in personal watercraft accidents are usually injured more seriously than in small motorboat crashes. That’s because they’re more likely to sustain head injuries and trauma to the chest or abdomen when they’re ejected from the craft and strike obstacles. Annually, more than one hundred (100) children are injured in personal watercraft accidents. And while some states have operator age limits, there’s no federal legal minimum age.
Dr. Elizabeth Beierle / UF Pediatric Surgeon:
“I think that parents need to be made aware that these are dangerous vehicles and the reason that they’re dangerous is because of the fact that there are people, i-e children that are just too young to operate them and parents need to be aware and need to be made aware that these are not toys.”
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Medical experts advise younger operators and passengers to wear helmets to reduce head injuries and personal floatation devices to prevent accidental drownings. In Florida, personal watercraft account for only ten percent (10%) of all registered vessels, but they’re involved in nearly forty percent (40%) of reported boating accidents. And when crashes involving kids do occur, their visits to the hospital tend to be longer and often require surgery.
Dr. Elizabeth Beierle / UF Pediatric Surgeon:
“I think that operating any motorized vehicle requires certain skills. It requires not only mechanical skills in order to maneuver out of the way of obstacles, but it also requires cognitive skills and quick decision making that perhaps some young people don’t have a good grasp of.”
