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Exploring the Dangers of Personal Watercraft

beached sailboat on its side

With summer right around the corner, it won’t be long before countless individuals will be heading out to the water to enjoy some fun in the sun. While there is nothing wrong with being able to take in a day of fun and excitement on the water, you want to make sure you are being safe about it and staying within your boundaries. Personal watercraft are a form of powerful machinery that is capable of traveling at an extremely high rate of speed.

Personal watercraft are designed to hold one to two people on average. However, there are some vehicles that can hold as many as four people at one time. They are often referred to as wave runners, jet skis or seadoos. The first one of these personal watercraft vehicles came out back in the 1960s by Bombadier. However, they weren’t widely used which halted production for a few years. It wasn’t until 1974 when Kawasaki Motor Corporation in the US came out with the jet ski. These personal watercraft vehicles became quite popular.

Between 1990-1995, the use of these vehicles tripled. In fact, more than 200,000 of these units were sold in 1995. Initially, jet skis were created as a stand-up machine that had a well where drivers could end up kneeling. Later on, the seated versions took over and have dominated the market ever since. Sales did decline after 1995 with only 106,000 being sold in 1999. As of 2001, more than one million of these watercraft were in circulation throughout the US.

Personal watercraft are often referred to as the motorbikes of the water. Some models are capable of reaching more than 70mph. They can make sharp turns and do tricks in the air from the wakes of another vessel on the water. Because of this, the ride can be quite exhilarating for those out on the watercraft.

These types of machines might be fun, but you need the proper experience and expertise to be able to handle them accordingly. One of the main reasons why so many people end up injured is because they don’t have the proper experience to ride one of these machines. You need to know what the rules of the road are before you assume you are ready to go out and ride on your own. Not knowing what you are doing could end up causing you to sustain a serious injury, if not end up dead.

Colliding with another vehicle is the most common reason why people end up getting injured. There are a number of different orthopedic injuries all stemming from being in a high-speed collision with another vehicle. However, there isn’t one type of injury that is more predominant than any other.

There are a number of hydrostatic pressure injuries of the rectum or vagina that were reported in individuals who fell from a personal watercraft in an accident. All of these injuries could be avoided by taking the proper precautions and making sure you have on the proper protective clothing when out riding. Countless measures can be taken to help reduce your chance of being injured or having someone pass away. Educating yourself and wearing the proper gear could be the difference between saving your life and passing away.

Even though these machines are quite affordable, they are still a dangerous piece of machinery for those who aren’t sure of what they are doing out on the water. You need to do everything you can to make sure you are prepared to handle what the water has in store for you. Not only will this protect you, but it will also protect other riders on the water.

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