One of our earlier posts noted the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is seeking public comments on a proposed rule concerning Boat Kill Switches, also called Engine Cut-Off Switches. Details of their proposal and request for comment on our Kill Switch/Engine Cut-Off Switch Proposed Rulemaking Comments Sought by USCG post.

The two most basic questions asked are should all new recreational power boats less than 26 feet be built with an engine cut-off switch AND if a cut-off switch is present, should the boat operator be required to use it?

We submitted a lengthy public comment yesterday (29 August 2011) that included several pieces of information USCG had requested, our 2010 Circle of Death Invention Disclosure, five RFID Boat Kill Switch Invention Disclosures we completed 29 August 2011, and a 1979 USCG report on engine cut-off switch preventable fatalities that looks extremely similar to the report they included this time. Its hard to believe this problem has been around and discussed for 30 plus years, and they are still talking about “possibly” requiring manufacturers to install kill switches.

A copy of our comments on the proposed kill switch rule can be viewed at PropellerSafety.com Public Comments . This copy does not directly contain the Appendices.

A copy of our our public comments, including the Appendices, can be found on Regulations.gov. Just click on the red PDF icon down the right side of that page.

September 6, 2011 was the cut-off date for filing public comments on the proposed engine cut-off switch regulation, USCG-2009-0206.