kill cord

Police said the kill cord - and whether or not it had been used - was a "key focus" of their investigation.

One of the key questions they will be focusing on is why the so called "kill cord" didn't stop the boat.

Stop the engine before transferring the kill cord to another driver.

"If the kill cord is attached correctly the boat would just cut out," he added.

The whole idea of the kill cord is to prevent any of these situations occurring.

Accidents happen every year - it's an ongoing problem that so many people fail to attach the kill cord.

A campaign has begun to make kill cords compulsory on speedboats.

"The kill cord serves only one purpose, to stop the engine when the driver moves away from the controls," it said.

Police are currently believed to be investigating whether or not the Milligans were using a kill cord on their boat.

Test them regularly to ensure that the engine stops when the kill cord mechanism is operated.

The engine kill cord should be connected to the driver’s leg or lifejacket harness.

The report urged speedboat users to use kill cords at all times and to test them regularly to see if they work.

It is not yet known whether anyone on board operated a kill cord, which should immediately cut out the engine if they fall from the vessel.

Photographs of the speedboat being taken away by Coastguards showed the kill cord still in place, apparently unused.

The kill cord, the presence of, state of and how it was attached or otherwise will be a key focus of our investigation.

Boat owners are not obliged by law to use a kill cord, but accident investigators hope the case will encourage more of them to do so.

The report called on all boat owners and operators to make sure their boats were fitted with working kill cords - and to use them.

His organisation runs powerboat training courses and he said use of the kill cord was something it was "keen to push."

On powered boats in particular this cord often called a "kill cord" (use around the wrist is not recommended).

Det Supt Colwell said the kill cord would be a "key focus" for the police.

As they set off, both occupants were wearing flotation devices and the driver had looped the engine kill cord around his wrist.

Mr Hutton, who has been sailing since he was 12, was wearing a kill cord to cut the engine at the time of the incident.

Padstow speedboat crash: kill cord 'could have prevented tragedy'

The "kill cord" is designed so that when the boat's driver falls from the vessel with the cord attached, it cuts the engine.

An interim report into the May 4 accident has now revealed the engine could have been switched off sooner if a kill cord had been used.