306.142. Personal watercraft, regulations--personal flotation devices--age restriction--reasonable and prudent operation--exceptions.
Personal watercraft, regulations--personal flotation devices--agerestriction--reasonable and prudent operation--exceptions.
306.142. 1. No person shall operate a personal watercraft unlesseach person aboard is wearing a type I, type II, type III or type Vpersonal flotation device approved by the United States Coast Guard.
2. A person operating a personal watercraft equipped by themanufacturer with a lanyard-type engine cutoff switch shall attach suchlanyard to the person's body, clothing, or personal flotation device asappropriate for the specific vessel.
3. No person under fourteen years of age shall operate a personalwatercraft on the waters of this state, except that a person under fourteenyears of age may operate a personal watercraft if a person at least sixteenyears of age is aboard the personal watercraft.
4. Every personal watercraft shall at all times be operated in areasonable and prudent manner. Maneuvers which unreasonably orunnecessarily endanger life, limb or property, including, but not limitedto, weaving through congested vessel traffic, jumping the wake of anothervessel when visibility around such vessel is obstructed, becoming airborneor completely leaving the water while crossing the wake of another vesselwithin one hundred feet of the vessel creating the wake, operating at aspeed in excess of a slow-no wake speed within fifty feet of any vessel orany person in or on the water, and operating at such a speed and proximityto another vessel so as to require the operator to swerve to avoidcollision, shall constitute unsafe or reckless operation of a personalwatercraft. No person shall operate a personal watercraft on any waters ofthis state for towing a person or persons on water skis, or a surfboard, orsimilar device unless there is a person on the personal watercraft, inaddition to the operator, or an approved ski mirror attached to thepersonal watercraft, in a position to observe the progress of the person orpersons being towed.
5. No person who owns a personal watercraft or who has charge over orcontrol of a personal watercraft shall authorize or knowingly permit thepersonal watercraft to be operated in violation of this section, nor shalla parent or guardian authorize or knowingly permit a child of such parentor guardian to operate a personal watercraft in violation of this section.
6. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a personparticipating in a regatta, race, marine parade, tournament, or exhibitionfor which a permit has been issued by the state water patrol.
(L. 1995 H.B. 217, A.L. 1997 H.B. 379)Effective 6-24-97
CROSS REFERENCE:
Penalty provisions for violations of this section, RSMo 306.210