States consider raising minimum PWC operator age
ALBANY, N.Y. and RALEIGH, N.C. – Kids will have to be a minimum of 14 years old to operate a personal watercraft by themselves in New York and North Carolina, if lawmakers in the states pass bills currently under consideration.
In New York, the minimum age is now 10 years old. All users are already required to have completed a safety course, according to an article on the NewsWatch 50 Web site.
The North Carolina minimum is currently 12. Under the new proposal, those under 14 would have to ride with someone who is at least 18 or has completed a boating safety class, reported The Daily Dispatch in an article today.
The Personal Watercraft Industry Association suggests a minimum age of 16 to operate a personal watercraft.
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