Negligent and Reckless Operation

Washington law designates the following dangerous operating practices as illegal.

Negligent Operation is operating a vessel in disregard of careful and prudent operation, or in disregard of careful and prudent rates of speed in a manner that unduly or unreasonably endangers the life, limb, property, or other rights of any person. This includes:

• Not paying attention to the operation of the vessel
• Failing to keep a proper lookout
• Failing to follow the navigation rules
• Causing danger from the effects of the vessel’s wake
• Allowing passengers to ride on the bow, gunwale, or transom of a vessel not equipped with adequate railings to prevent falls overboard

Reckless Operation is operating carelessly in a willful and wanton disregard of the rights, safety, or property of another person. It includes:

• Weaving in and out of other vessels, docks, or buoys
• Playing “chicken” with another vessel
• Operating in a marked “No Boats” area such as a swimming or dam spillway area