A Proposal Would Require Life Jackets For All Deschutes River Users

Bend, Ore. – The Oregon Marine Board has proposed floaters on the Deschutes River, and elsewhere, wear life jackets or face a $30 fine.

Under current law, children 12 and under are required to wear life jackets while in a boat, while older boaters must carry a life jacket.

The law does not apply to those who use “nonmotorized craft,” a category that includes items that are not considered boats but can be used to travel on water, such as inner tubes, air mattresses, pool toys and surfboards.

If passed, the proposed law would eliminate the distinction between boats and non-motorized craft and require users of both to wear a life jacket when on any river or stream in Oregon.

The bill is of particular interest to the Bend Park & Recreation District, which opened the Bend Whitewater Park in September 2015. The park’s passageway channel and whitewater play area have helped boost interest in the already-popular practice of floating the river through Bend.

The district launched an effort last summer to encourage life jackets, including a program at Riverbend Park in which Sun Country Tours loaned life jackets to river floaters free of charge.

The park district has no enforcement authority, and Bend Police and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office do not routinely conduct marine patrols within the city.

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