For the lack of a kill-cord?

The tragic speedboat accident at Padstow is another in the long line of outboard engine disasters. Power boats, and especially outboard driven ones, are potentially very highly dangerous pieces of kit. Accidents involving outboards engines are never trivial and almost always result in horrific injuries or death. Tight turns at high speed can flip the boat or at least hurl the crew overboard with the boat continuing to make lethal high speed circles around the people in the water. All outboards are fitted with a simple device called a "kill cord" that is attached to the helmsman and will kill the engine instantly if they should be thrown from the boat. Attaching the kill cord is such an easy thing to do but every year many power boat drivers just don't bother. Some of them are no longer with us.