Readers Speak Up: Mandating Life Jackets Gets Mixed Feedback

This is week Patch asked readers about whether making life jackets mandatory for everyone on a boat would be a good thing given the dangers on the Great South Bay and boating.

The feedback: it's a smart move. Yet there are some residents concerned about over regulating adult behavior and decision-making.

"We have to wear seatbelts in cars so I think it's a good idea all people wear life jackets on boats," Dorothy Straus wrote in response on Patch's Facebook page.

Maria Lanzano said it should while it should be mandatory for kids and anyone riding a water craft, there should be no requirement for adults on regular sized boats. 

"It does make sense to have to have them on board in case of an emergency," she said.

Karen Giordano though believes it should be mandatory that everyone wear one. "It's a no brainer," she wrote.

But Hannah Moran Bissell believes it should mandatory on water craft but be up to the person on a regular boat.

"All others should use their own judgment. I'll wear one if it's bad weather, other than that as much as they've come a long way they are still a pain and add extra heat."