Safe boating is the aim of all boaters and comes from education/training
and experience. This excerpt from a recent Boating Statistics report,
provided by the United States Coast Guard, is presented in the interest
of safety by helping boaters learn from the experience of others.
To read the full report, please visit
www.uscgboating.org
FATALITY RATE
Historically, one indicator of safety in recreational boating is
the fatality rate, e.g., the number of reported fatalities as compared
to the number of registered recreational boats. The registered boat
population is based on the annual Report of Certificates of Number
Issued to Boats, each State and jurisdiction forwards to the Coast
Guard. The report also provides statistics on registered boats by
length, hull material, and type of propulsion. Please note there are limitations to this methodology.
One is that fatality rate comparisons between States are invalid
because of differences in the scope of each State's boat registration
system. Another limitation is that fatalities occur on boats which
are not registered, and therefore not included in the boat registration
statistics. Users should be aware of these limitations when working
with the fatality rate. A more reliable estimate of the fatality
rate for each State or jurisdiction can be found by comparing fatalities
occurring only on specific categories of registered boats.
2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2008, the Coast Guard counted 4789 accidents that involved 709 deaths,
3331 injuries and approximately $54 million dollars of damage to property as a result
of recreational boating accidents.
Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90)
percent were not wearing a life jacket.
Only ten percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received
boating safety instruction.
Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in
length.
Careless/reckless operation, operator inattention, no proper lookout, operator
inexperience and passenger/skier behavior rank as the top five primary contributing
factors in accidents.
Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed
as the leading factor in 17% of the deaths.
Eleven children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2008. 63% of the
children who died in 2008 died from drowning.
The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open
motorboats (43%), personal watercraft (23%), and cabin motorboats (15%).
The 12,692,892 boats registered by the states in 2008 represent a 1.4%
decrease from last year when 12,875,568 boats were registered.
For charts containing the following statistics
Click Here
Primary Contributing Factors
Fatalities & Lifejacket Wear
Number of Deaths by Vessel Type
The American Boating Association
PO Box 456
Centerville, MA 02632
Tel: 508-534-9893
