A proposed ban on personal watercraft, or Jet-Skis as they are commonly known, is a drastic action that, despite the inconvenience it may give to the enthusiasts of the sport, should be imposed in the state of Massachusetts.
Strict limits are already in place for Jet-Skis. They cannot operate after dark, drivers must wear a safety vest, they cannot proceed within a certain limit of areas where people may be swimming, and no one under the age of sixteen is allowed to operate a craft within the state. Still, these laws do not affect the real problem that Jet-Ski opponents have with the machinery.
These limits do much to protect the drivers of Jet-Skis and those who could conceivably be injured by them. Mandated life-preservers protect the driver, and the ban on underage, on certain areas, and on a minimum age protect those innocent people enjoying the water who could be injured. By themselves these rules (if strictly enforced) would be more than sufficient, if personal safety were the issue involved.
It is not.
The two main issues at hand are environmental and community. The environmental issue is due to the fact that, despite recent efforts from the Jet-Ski industry to make headway against it, most Jet-Skis on the water today are heinous polluters. They dump gallons of gas and oil per tank into the water upon which they move.
There is no excuse for this. Many of the bodies of water that are Jet-Ski friendly in this state are also secondary or backup sources of drinking water for town in the state. Many of these locations have aquatic life that does not react well to gasoline and oil intruding on their habitat. It doesn't matter how fun the sport may be - this sort of pollution in Massachusetts is unacceptable.
The community issue had two prongs. One is that the people in the communities that are dominated by this sport intensely dislike it. They find it to be obnoxiously loud; despite the laws, they consider it to dangerous to them, their children, and even the drivers. They consider it an unnecessary nuisance. To be honest, they hate everything about it - but they do live there, and it is their lives and community, and their voices should carry great weight.
The other argument that, if a partial ban is instituted, then the areas where there is still legal Jet-Skiing would come under attack even more as enthusiasts from other, banned areas travel to where it is allowed. These people would then have even more reason to dislike the sport. To avoid this, a total ban would be necessary.
A ban on Jet-Skis is the right thing for Massachusetts. A sport which pollutes and angers those exposed to it should not be allowed to continue. Those who enjoy it may bitch and moan, but the common good must speak over their noise and the noise of their motors.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Collegian editorial board.
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