Exactly. To think there is significant revenue being generated from kill switch tickets is laughable. These incidents do kill people. The fine is the stick to offer motivation to those that don't care anyway.

txags92 said:

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aTm2004 said:

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I'd be willing to bet that nobody is making a pile of money off of writing these tickets. I know any time somebody gets fined for doing something abjectly stupid and unsafe, the popular thing is to accuse the officer writing the ticket (who sees none of the ticket revenue personally) of just doing it for the money. But that is a stupid hill to die on. The law is unquestionably an effort to make boating safer and requires next to no effort on the part of boaters except to use their safety lanyard.

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Why is it a stupid hill to die on? Because it's for "safety?" Anytime a government fines someone for anything, it should be questioned and the underlying reason be challenged. The fact that we just accept something because the government tells us it's safer is not a legit reason. It's no different than a dumb law that further restricts rights or choices because of "the children" or because "it saves 1 life," or shutting down a business to slow the spread.

And the reason people say something about the officer is because there are times where a warning and education work as much or more than a ticket, and if what the OP is stating is accurate, this would have been one of those times.

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Wearing safety lanyards unquestionably makes boaters safer and there is no rational argument to be made that it doesn't. This law costs the boater nothing to comply with. If their boat isn't equipped with one, the law does not require them to add one. If it is equipped with one, you clip it to your wrist or belt and voila, you are compliant. It takes no effort or cost on the part of the boater and they are safer for having done it.

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Where have I argued it doesn't make it safer?

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If the kid had gotten a warning, he probably would have laughed it off with his buddies and forgotten about it next time he went out. After paying the ticket, he won't forget next time.

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Or he now hates game wardens and will despise them in the future because of his only interaction with them being a negative one. It goes both ways.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Exactly. To think there is significant revenue being generated from kill switch tickets is laughable. These incidents do kill people. The fine is the stick to offer motivation to those that don't care anyway.

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It all adds up. No different than a ticket for having a headlight out.

If the game warden acted professionally and respectfully and this kid hates him anyway, then the kid is the problem. He broke a law designed to mitigate an issue that kills a number of people every year. "We should not write tickets because it will make them not like you" isn't much of an argument

aTm2004 said:

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Gunny456 said:

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If you choose to run all the boats in your life, regardless of brand, without a return to idle device or safety lanyard, it's your choice. Laws are for folks to obey or disobey… and that's an individuals choice.
In my many years in the marine business I have witnessed the tragedy and death/permanent injuries from the choices or negligence of boat operators not utilizing a kill switch.
In some cases it affected just them ….and again it was their choice to not use it or negligence to use it….but in many, many cases it causes death/injury to totally innocent people.

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Talk to a cop, fire fighter, etc and see if they've ever responded to calls where a driver had a medical episode (heart attack, stroke, seizure, etc) while driving and crashed into other vehicles or buildings. It happens quite a bit. If cruise control is engaged when it does, the vehicle will act much like a boat...continue down it's path until it either runs out of gas or hits something. Applying this same logic, cruise should not be in any vehicle going forward because of this risk, correct?

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My cruise control will bring my truck to a complete stop. It doesn't kill the engine, but it will stop the vehicle if there is an obstruction.

Just because it became a ticket able offense doesn't make it a money grab.

If they made seat belts optional would you still click it? Its only for safety after all..... not required during all times of a plane flight so if it's for safety why not all the time?

No law says you have to wear a parachute. Its only for safety after all. The high speed fall is the draw after all. Don't have to wear the parachute....it's just for safety.

Don't have to wear safety glasses when grinding overhead. Its only for safety.... it's not even ticketable. Do you put them on willingly? If it became a ticket able offense would you stick it to the man and sacrifice your vision? I mean it can only be a money grab if they ticket a safety factor that only affects you.

How about a welding helmet? Don't have to wear one to weld. Its only for safety and eye health. No money grab.

Some free actions are just smart. And the opposite of those actions are stupid. That stupid can cost. But it is free to not be stupid. Nothing to do with the law.

SGrem said:

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Just because it became a ticket able offense doesn't make it a money grab.

If they made seat belts optional would you still click it? Its only for safety after all..... not required during all times of a plane flight so if it's for safety why not all the time?

No law says you have to wear a parachute. Its only for safety after all. The high speed fall is the draw after all. Don't have to wear the parachute....it's just for safety.

Don't have to wear safety glasses when grinding overhead. Its only for safety.... it's not even ticketable. Do you put them on willingly? If it became a ticket able offense would you stick it to the man and sacrifice your vision? I mean it can only be a money grab if they ticket a safety factor that only affects you.

How about a welding helmet? Don't have to wear one to weld. Its only for safety and eye health. No money grab.

Some free actions are just smart. And the opposite of those actions are stupid. That stupid can cost. But it is free to not be stupid. Nothing to do with the law.

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Something I figure you realize, but I will point out just for others who are thinking it...not wearing your seat belt on a plane, not wearing a parachute, not wearing safety glasses while grind overhead, and not wearing a helmet are choices that could hurt or kill you, but are very unlikely to hurt or kill others. Not using a kill switch lanyard in a boat is a choice that could easily hurt or kill others if you fall overboard or are incapacitated while driving.

Most controversial thread on OB in years is over a $267 ticket for an inop kill switch lanyard.

"B" bring "O" on "A" another "T" thousand!

aTm2004 said:

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txags92 said:

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aTm2004 said:

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I'd be willing to bet that nobody is making a pile of money off of writing these tickets. I know any time somebody gets fined for doing something abjectly stupid and unsafe, the popular thing is to accuse the officer writing the ticket (who sees none of the ticket revenue personally) of just doing it for the money. But that is a stupid hill to die on. The law is unquestionably an effort to make boating safer and requires next to no effort on the part of boaters except to use their safety lanyard.

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Why is it a stupid hill to die on? Because it's for "safety?" Anytime a government fines someone for anything, it should be questioned and the underlying reason be challenged. The fact that we just accept something because the government tells us it's safer is not a legit reason. It's no different than a dumb law that further restricts rights or choices because of "the children" or because "it saves 1 life," or shutting down a business to slow the spread.

And the reason people say something about the officer is because there are times where a warning and education work as much or more than a ticket, and if what the OP is stating is accurate, this would have been one of those times.

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Wearing safety lanyards unquestionably makes boaters safer and there is no rational argument to be made that it doesn't. This law costs the boater nothing to comply with. If their boat isn't equipped with one, the law does not require them to add one. If it is equipped with one, you clip it to your wrist or belt and voila, you are compliant. It takes no effort or cost on the part of the boater and they are safer for having done it.

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Where have I argued it doesn't make it safer?

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If the kid had gotten a warning, he probably would have laughed it off with his buddies and forgotten about it next time he went out. After paying the ticket, he won't forget next time.

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Or he now hates game wardens and will despise them in the future because of his only interaction with them being a negative one. It goes both ways.

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Putting "safety" in quotes and saying that government fining people for it should be questioned strongly implies that you don't believe whether it makes it safer.

And if a kid gets a ticket for doing something illegal and his response is to hate the officer/game warden for it, he has bad parents. If you do the crime and get caught, own it.

Dodging a citation is going to get a warrant issued for arrest. Best bet is lawyer or talk to the judge

Gunny456 said:

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Whenever I'm running our boats and going to be up on plane I have a pfd on. Most quality high performance or Mustang type vest have D-rings specifically to hook the safety lanyard into.
So it's double safe to develop a habit of slipping on the pfd when on plane and leave the safety lanyard hooked to it. When you stop to fish slip it off and hang the pfd on the steering wheel.
When I put the boat on the trailer I loop the safety lanyard around the steering wheel and hook it. That keeps it from blowing around and messing up your gel coat or boat finish and it assures you won't forget it.

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As usual, right on point. Sadly, I have been ejected by others, and have even ejected myself and my son when swapping ends. Both times, it could have been massively worse had the kill switch been unhooked. My inflatable goes on the steering wheel also. I do not start the motor without the kill switch attached.

To any parent who would even consider a night in jail for their son, if pulled over with an active warrant, versus paying a $300 fine as he should, I caution you to give it some careful thought.

If you personally get arrested for a warrant, by not complying with fines etc, and don't mind a night in jail, bail bond and lawyer fees while having your vehicle towed to impound and searched, then more power to you as an adult. Our constitution lets you make that choice. I can guarantee that it will likely cost at least 10x the $267 you plan to save.

However, if you allow your son to make that decision, without informing him fully of the possible repercussions of an overnight jail stay, bail, lawyers, and being a criminal, that's some horrible parenting. Imagine the disappointment in his eyes as you arrive to post his bail and pick him up. I would not wish that experience on the most terrible people I know. Let alone my own son.

Have him pay the fine, and be glad he is safe and sound. Then get a kill switch and start following boat safety laws, or get off the water. We don't need a bunch of unsafe boaters on any water body I have been on recently. There are already plenty of ignorant folks out there putting us all at risk. Don't be an informed one that chooses to turn a blind eye to the law. I do not know what the odds are that the prop hits ya when you get thrown out. From what I have seen and heard, when it does hit ya, most people die. I'm not rolling the dice with my son's life or my own for $200,670 let alone something under $275. C'mon man.....

SGrem said:

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Just because it became a ticket able offense doesn't make it a money grab.

If they made seat belts optional would you still click it? Its only for safety after all..... not required during all times of a plane flight so if it's for safety why not all the time?

No law says you have to wear a parachute. Its only for safety after all. The high speed fall is the draw after all. Don't have to wear the parachute....it's just for safety.

Don't have to wear safety glasses when grinding overhead. Its only for safety.... it's not even ticketable. Do you put them on willingly? If it became a ticket able offense would you stick it to the man and sacrifice your vision? I mean it can only be a money grab if they ticket a safety factor that only affects you.

How about a welding helmet? Don't have to wear one to weld. Its only for safety and eye health. No money grab.

Some free actions are just smart. And the opposite of those actions are stupid. That stupid can cost. But it is free to not be stupid. Nothing to do with the law.

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This kinda reminds me of the country song I love, called "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough"

Yes.

Aggieangler93 said:

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SGrem said:

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Just because it became a ticket able offense doesn't make it a money grab.

If they made seat belts optional would you still click it? Its only for safety after all..... not required during all times of a plane flight so if it's for safety why not all the time?

No law says you have to wear a parachute. Its only for safety after all. The high speed fall is the draw after all. Don't have to wear the parachute....it's just for safety.

Don't have to wear safety glasses when grinding overhead. Its only for safety.... it's not even ticketable. Do you put them on willingly? If it became a ticket able offense would you stick it to the man and sacrifice your vision? I mean it can only be a money grab if they ticket a safety factor that only affects you.

How about a welding helmet? Don't have to wear one to weld. Its only for safety and eye health. No money grab.

Some free actions are just smart. And the opposite of those actions are stupid. That stupid can cost. But it is free to not be stupid. Nothing to do with the law.

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This kinda reminds me of the country song I love, called "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough"

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Reminds me of one of my favorite tshirts. The fact that it is modeled on a guy with neck and head tattoos just makes me laugh.

Can you accidentally kill yourself out of stupidity doing something of extremely low risk to others? - No law necessary

Can you easily kill others by your negligence? - Not opposed to a law in most cases

The fine is appropriate given potential consequences if the was on plane. Multiple fatalities every year from this and it's often a kid passenger or another boat driver.

You can look up solid action outdoors on Facebook and get a set of custom slip on lanyards to match your boat. Aggie owned

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Most controversial thread on OB in years is over a $267 ticket for an inop kill switch lanyard.

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What I find controversial is that the fine for this offense is capped at $200.

Killswitch law has been in effect for Texas since 2019. It's nothing new. Killswitch lanyard and cut-off must be in working order on boats that were factory equipped with a cut-off, and must be worn at all times when under more than headyway(idle) speed.

I highly doubt that asking a JP to let them take a Boaters Ed course to get the fine dismissed is going to work when it's more than likely that they were required to have a boater's ed to operate in the first place. Any person born after Sept 1,1993 is required to complete an approved boater's safety course to operate any motorized vessel over 15hp or PWC.

It's your job to know the laws when operating a vessel on public waters. Please don't put the rest of us at risk. Do not blame the LEO for doing their job. You broke the law, you pay the price.