Eighty-seven standup paddleboarders have been rescued by the Coast Guard Administration over the past three years due to a lack of regulations about safety in the water sport, the Control Yuan said in a report on Tuesday.
The government should step up efforts to promote safety awareness for popular water sports, the report said.
A 56-year-old man died while standup paddleboarding in Hualien County’s Chongde Township (崇德) in 2020, Control Yuan members Lin Kuo-ming (林國明) and Wang Li-chen (王麗珍) said in the report.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The man’s family sued the company that rented out the equipment for involuntary manslaughter and a court last year ruled that the owner was not guilty of criminal charges, but ordered the company to pay NT$1.66 million (US$51,969) in civilian damages for failing to insure against such an incident.
The ruling can be appealed.
The incident highlighted the responsibility that government agencies and sports equipment owners bear, the report said.
The Hualien County Government fined the company NT$30,000 and suspended its license, but the punishment was not sufficient given that the company failed to observe clear regulations regarding insurance, the report said.
AVOIDABLE RISKS
National scenic areas and county governments have failed to clarify the distinction between canoeing and standup paddleboarding, it said, adding that they should keep their regulations up to date to ensure people’s safety.
People who engage in water sports at sea for the first time face heightened risk of being caught in an outgoing current that leads to a rescue situation, which could be avoided if they are informed of the dangers and trained, it said.
The Financial Supervisory Commission should observe the Feb. 22 amendments to the Regulations Governing Water Recreation Activities (水域遊憩活動管理辦法) — which updated insurance requirements for commercial water recreation activity providers, including minimum liability — and the Tourism Bureau should promote insurance information for water activities, the report said.
Moreover, the Executive Yuan should increase awareness that standup paddleboarding in mountain lakes is not encouraged, it added.
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