spectr17
06-05-2002, 07:15 PM
Boating death toll is down, but there still is work to do
By Tim Renken Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
05/31/2002
It's nice to note as National Fishing and Boating Week begins that the number of people killed in boating accidents last year in the United States was the lowest since record keeping began some 40 years ago, according to the Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety.
It's not so nice, though, that 695 people died in recreational boating accidents last year. That toll is second in the nation behind only auto accidents.
The highest number of recorded boating fatalities was 1,750 in 1973, but a lot more boats are on the water now than then. In 1963, there were 33 deaths for every 100,000 boats. In 2001 there were 5.45 fatalities for each 100,000 boats.
To what do we owe this development?
Given the fact that most boating accidents are due to operator error, we must conclude that people today are boating more intelligently. Maybe all these education efforts of the states, the Coast Guard, the Red Cross, etc., have paid off.
Nobody, though, thinks the job is done. Last year, as in most years, nearly 70 percent of reported accidents involved operator controllable factors, including operator inattention, operator inexperience, careless/reckless operation, excessive speed and no proper lookout.
It isn't surprising that about 80 percent of the boaters doing the dumb things that led to fatalities had not taken a safe boating course.
In 2000, the last year for which Coast Guard statistics are available, 7,740 recreational boating accidents were reported. But earlier studies have shown that only about 5 to 10 percent of non-fatal accidents are reported to authorities. That means the actual number of boating accidents in 2000 was from 38,700 to 77,400.
About 12.7 million recreational boats are registered in the U.S. Some 70 million people participate in recreational boating.
Most people who die in recreational boating accidents drown and 80 percent of all accident victims weren't wearing lifejackets. In 2000, according to the Coast Guard, 445 boaters would not have died if they had been wearing lifejackets.
Small boats, less than 20 feet, accounted for eight of 10 accidents. And 80 percent of these were open boats, such as bass boats, PWCs, johnboats, canoes, etc. Personal watercraft were by far the most dangerous kinds of boats. They accounted for 36 percent of the accidents but comprise less than 10 percent of the nation's recreational fleet.
Alcohol was involved in a third of all fatal accidents in 2000. That percentage was up a bit from 1999.
By Tim Renken Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
05/31/2002
It's nice to note as National Fishing and Boating Week begins that the number of people killed in boating accidents last year in the United States was the lowest since record keeping began some 40 years ago, according to the Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety.
It's not so nice, though, that 695 people died in recreational boating accidents last year. That toll is second in the nation behind only auto accidents.
The highest number of recorded boating fatalities was 1,750 in 1973, but a lot more boats are on the water now than then. In 1963, there were 33 deaths for every 100,000 boats. In 2001 there were 5.45 fatalities for each 100,000 boats.
To what do we owe this development?
Given the fact that most boating accidents are due to operator error, we must conclude that people today are boating more intelligently. Maybe all these education efforts of the states, the Coast Guard, the Red Cross, etc., have paid off.
Nobody, though, thinks the job is done. Last year, as in most years, nearly 70 percent of reported accidents involved operator controllable factors, including operator inattention, operator inexperience, careless/reckless operation, excessive speed and no proper lookout.
It isn't surprising that about 80 percent of the boaters doing the dumb things that led to fatalities had not taken a safe boating course.
In 2000, the last year for which Coast Guard statistics are available, 7,740 recreational boating accidents were reported. But earlier studies have shown that only about 5 to 10 percent of non-fatal accidents are reported to authorities. That means the actual number of boating accidents in 2000 was from 38,700 to 77,400.
About 12.7 million recreational boats are registered in the U.S. Some 70 million people participate in recreational boating.
Most people who die in recreational boating accidents drown and 80 percent of all accident victims weren't wearing lifejackets. In 2000, according to the Coast Guard, 445 boaters would not have died if they had been wearing lifejackets.
Small boats, less than 20 feet, accounted for eight of 10 accidents. And 80 percent of these were open boats, such as bass boats, PWCs, johnboats, canoes, etc. Personal watercraft were by far the most dangerous kinds of boats. They accounted for 36 percent of the accidents but comprise less than 10 percent of the nation's recreational fleet.
Alcohol was involved in a third of all fatal accidents in 2000. That percentage was up a bit from 1999.