MOBs and Cardinals questions

[burlesque]

As an Englishman exploring US East Coast waters I am amazed that American boats do not carry what I call a danbuoy and you call a MOB pole. The first problem in a MOB situation is to keep the victim in sight. Deploying a pole takes seconds and gives a good indication of the whereabouts of the unfortunate. The automatic, inflatable ones complete with light and drogue take little room and are visible for some distance even in a big sea. It also gives reassurance to the person in the water that you know where he is. So why don't you have them ? - I can't even buy a decent one. They are mandatory in the UK for any sailing boat used for hire and reward and nearly everyone has one anyway.
Also wondering why, although IALA B includes them, there are no cardinal buoys in the US - the most easily interpreted form of marking shoals, rocks etc. Simple - South Cardinal:safe water to the south, East cardinal:safe water to the east etc.

[sailingdog]

They do have cardinal buoys in the US...they're just fairly rare.

As for the MOB pole, IIRC most MOB studies have found serious problems with deploying MOB poles quickly. In many cases, the drogue would get tangled or fail to deploy, making the MOB pole less than useful, as it would drift away from the MOB and mislead the boat as to the MOB's actual location.