I find myself having to defend PWC's alot due to the fact that my boat (Yamaha LS2000) is powered by twin 1200cc waverunner engines. When bans are put out on PWC's, they carry over to Jet Boats as well.
Many lakes placed bans on the PWC's due to emissions of the two strokes but then could not justify the claim. Tests concluded that the engines were no more harmful to the environment than any other marine engine. 95% of the lakes that placed the ban on them had to lift it. Now that a good majority of the waverunners are 4 stroke, that arguement has almost vanished. I'll try to find a link to the article.
Another issue is no control at low speeds. No thrust means no steering. That's how alot of accidents occur. Stupid A@@ people can just jump onto one without any training. Add alcohol to the scene and watch out!
Steering fins can be purchased for these crafts, but most people don't bother because it hinders the spinning capabilities.
The final issue is that people are just plain idiots on them. There's no cure for that until something bad happens. Kind of like riding a motorcycle. You think you are invincible until something bad happens. More than once have I had skiiers behind the boat and some kid comes flying out of nowhere to jump my wake, barely missing my skiiers. I've chased a few of them down before.
My advice, EVERYONE should have to take a course before riding a PWC and have some sort of license to show. One more card in my wallet won't cause me any trouble. I have to take a test to drive a car, to scuba dive, and to carry a weapon... riding a PWC is no different. If an activity can easily kill the person performing it or someone around them, training should be involved. Simple as that.
Sorry for the rant. I'll come down off my soapbox now.
