On the occasion of its 2017 Recreational Boating Statistics release earlier this week, the USCG issued a summary of important safety measures that can be life-saving in recreational boating. Despite reporting a 6.1% decrease in boating fatalities from 2016, the report shows that 2017 had the second highest number of fatalities on record in the last five years.
In the Northeast, recreational boating deaths decreased from 55 in 2016 to 54 in 2017. Thirty-nine of the 54 people who died drowned and 41 of the 54 deaths were the result of capsizing or falling overboard. 39 of the 54 people who died were not wearing a life jacket and 19 out of the 54 deaths involved a paddle craft.
Walt Taylor, recreational boating safety coordinator for the First Coast Guard District, stated:
Last year, 39 people died because they were not wearing a life jacket and the majority of those victims drowned. I can assure you, none of these victims planned to have an accident that day; wear your life jacket.
As such, USCG advises:
- Wearing a life jacket can save your life. Nationally, 76% of fatal boating accident victims drowned, according to the 2017 statistics. Of those drowning victims, 84.5% were not wearing a life jacket. Children are not exempt from drowning. Be sure children boating with you all have properly fitted life jackets and know basic boating safety appropriate for their ages.
- Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause was known, it is listed as the leading factor in 19 percent of deaths. Refrain from using alcohol or other impairing substances when operating boats or other watercraft.
- Always have a marine VHF radio on your boat, along with an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) in case of emergency, as cell phones may not be dependable while out on the water.
- Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, machinery failure, and alcohol use rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents, according to the 2017 statistics, so be sure you are not operating a boat or watercraft that is beyond your level of knowledge and handling skill.
- Take a boating safety course or get a free safety check from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. The 2017 statistics show 81% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction, where instruction was known. About 14% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received a nationally approved boating safety education certificate.
- Small boats and shallow water don’t make for instant safety. The 2017 statistics show that eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length, so small boats and shallow water can be just as dangerous as larger vessels and deep water.
