Traffic > Safety of waterborne traffic > Equipment

• TRAFFIC
  • Speed surveillance »
    • Automatic speed surveillance
  • Drunken driving and drugs »
    • Drug abusers in traffic
    • Use of precision breathalyser
    • Consequences of drunken driving »
      • Driving ban
    • Drunken driver in traffic
    • Surveillance of drug use »
    • Intoxicants and the right to drive
  • Use of safety equipment
  • High-risk drivers »
    • Imposition of a driving ban due to repeat offences
    • Imposition of a driving ban due to gross negligence
  • Safety of waterborne traffic »
    • Watercraft and alcohol
    • Equipment
  • Driving licences

Equipment

The best way to be safe on the water is to use your common sense and be careful, but this alone is not enough. The vessel must be seaworthy and you also need proper equipment.

The equipment that must be carried is as follows:

• life vests
• oars or a paddle or an anchor and rope
• a pump, bailer or bucket
• an extinguisher (for motors of over 34 hp)

All boats equipped with a motor and sailing boats of over 5 metres must have enough life vests for all passengers. The law does not require that they be worn, but they are of no use unless you wear them.

An anchor and oars or a paddle will come in useful if you have engine trouble. A pump or a bailer of some kind is important if the boat starts leaking. An up-to-date nautical chart is also an important piece of safety equipment. It is not obligatory, but extremely helpful in Finnish waters in which there are plenty of underwater rocks.

Traffic regulations and speed limits apply to waterborne traffic, too. The best way to learn them is to attend a course arranged by a civic institution or a boat club.

A wise skipper will slow down even without a speed limit sign if it is important for the safety of a smaller craft. Consideration should also be given to boats moored at jetties and along the shore.

For additional information about boating on Finnish waters, see the web pages at Trafi, Maritime Sector



Back | Print page