4VAC15-430-30. Watercraft: Safety Equipment Requirements. Personal flotation devices required.
Summary
This amendment will adopt the federal requirement for life jackets to be worn by children under the age of 13.
Proposed Language
Note: In the “Proposed Language” document, underlined text denotes proposed new language, while text with a strikethrough denotes language that is proposed to be deleted.
Rationale
An amendment to the regulation on personal flotation devices is being proposed to incorporate the federal child life jacket requirement into Virginia’s regulations, as recommended by the Board and during the public scoping period. Both the Lake Anna Civic Association and the Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission, which serves Smith Mountain Lake, included a suggestion to adopt this requirement during the public scoping period. Aligning Virginia’s regulation with the federal standard will reduce confusion about differing life jacket requirements for children.