Ahhh - a lawyer amongst us –
please help the masses here and explain the seller’s and manufacturer’s duty to warn.
Goodness all I am advocating is that they inform people who come in and buy a rec kayak that the sport has dangers so that nice innocent folks are less likely to do stupid stuff and get killed. I think the free market system can sustain that. Why is this even controversial?
Statistic I heard
when my friend took up racing was from his insurance agent who was, at first, hesitant to give him coverage.
The average time between a superbike purchase and an insurance claim was 24 hours. Most were made in the first 2-3 hours. Those that didn’t make a claim in the first day usually wouldn’t make one during the short time they owned the vehicle up to the point it was stolen (they were often stolen within a month or two and probably shipped overseas).
I would love for things to be safer in a variety of areas, but I’m not comfortable with the concept of trying to legislate sellers and manufacturers to the degree we currently do in the US. On a ladder I purchased, there were four to five warning labels telling me how dangerous it was to use a ladder.
As a counterpoint, there are none on handguns.
Just shows which business has the money to lobby against legislation.
Since kayaking will fall into the category of a business that can’t pay public officials for special consideration, the boat will look like a NASCAR vehicle when all the safety labels are added.
Ok, I exaggerate, but this can go way too far - as it did with bicycle helmets, which carry the label that says, “…reasonably forseeable impacts can exceed the ability of the helmet to protect the wearer.” Or, in real english, impacts with cars, trucks and busses, or any fall where the velocity of the head may exceed 10 MPH (and the only time I do 10 MPH on my bicycle is in the first few seconds after the light turns green).
Risks and risk management are essential in all aspects of life. Yeah, it’s horrible that novices in any sport get killed or injured because they lack the knowledge and skills required for a safe experience. Yes, I think the industry could do more, such as include a kayaking safety book or pamphlet with purchased boats. I draw the line at forcing retailers (or other sellers) to be responsible for the safety of consumers who do really dumb s***.
Rick