With the weather warming up a resident wrote in and was questioning who needs to wear life jackets when kayaking or boating in Michigan with family and friends. The person went on to state they enjoy some of the smaller rivers and inland lakes but that they also enjoy spending time on the Great Lakes with their family that ranges in age from two years of age to 65 years of age.

The answer to the question is that it all depends on the age of the boater and the type of boat you will be using.

Michigan law requires that an individual in a vessel less than 16 feet (including canoes and kayaks) must be equipped with a Type I, II, III, or IV person flotation device (PFD) for each person on board, no matter what age they are.

Below are the requirements for other vessels and circumstances:

Children less than six years of age must wear a Type I or Type II PFD when riding in the open deck area of a boat.

Each person 12 years of age or older operating, riding on or being towed behind a personal watercraft (jet ski) must wear a Type I, Type II or Type III PFD (that is not an inflatable device).

Each person less than 12 years of age riding or being towed, behind a personal watercraft (jet ski) must wear a Type I or Type II PFD.

Vessels less than 16 feet (including canoes and kayaks) must be equipped with one Type I, II, III or IV PFD for each person on board.

The U.S. Guard requires all vessels less than 16 feet, used on the Great Lakes or connecting waterways, to carry one approved Type I, II, or III device for each person on board.

Vessels 16 feet and longer, in addition to the Type I, II, or III for each person on board must carry one type IV. (Canoes and kayaks over 16 feet are exempt from the Type IV requirement.)

The different life jackets discussed above are divided into four categories:

* TYPE I – Off-Shore Life Jacket: Best for open, rough or remote water where rescue may be slow in coming. Advantages: Turns most unconscious wearers face-up in water. Highly visible color. Floats the person the best. Disadvantages: Bulky

* TYPE II – Near-Shore Buoyant Vest : Good for calm, inland water or where there is good chance of fast rescue. Advantages: Turns some unconscious wearers face-up in water. Less bulky, more comfortable than Type I PFD. Inexpensive. Disadvantages: Not for long hours in the water. Will not turn some unconscious wearers face-up in water. Sizes: Infant, Child Small, Child Medium, Adult.

* TYPE III – Flotation Aid: Good for calm, inland water or where there is a good chance of fast rescue. Advantages: Generally the most comfortable type for continuous wear. Freedom of movement for most active water sports. Available in many styles. Freedom of movement for water-skiing, small boat, sailing, fishing, etc. Disadvantages: Wearer may have to tilt head back to avoid going facedown. In rough water, a wearer’s face may often be covered by waves. Not for extended survival in rough water.

* TYPE IV – Throwable Device: For calm, inland water with heavy boat traffic, where help is always nearby. Advantages: Can be thrown to someone. Good backup wearable PFDs. Some can be used as a seat cushion. Disadvantages: Not for unconscious persons. Nor for non-swimmers or children. Not for many hours in rough water. Kinds: Cushions, Rings and Horseshoe buoys.

Boating accident statistics compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard indicate that 90 percent of the people who drown in a boating or water accident would be alive today if they had been wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

The above information was taken from www.mi.gov/dnr. For more information go to www.mi.gov.dnr, go to “Camping & Recreation” and then to “Boating.”

Ashley Simpson is a Community Service Trooper for the MSP Alpena Post. If you have a question for Trooper Simpson, you can email him at asktroopersimpson@gmail.com.