It’s summertime… a time when millions of Americans would rather be floating on the water than cruising down a highway. Boating has always been a popular summer pastime, but did you know boats are also one of the deadliest forms of transportation? It’s true; according to the U.S. Coast Guard, more people die every year in boating accidents than in train or bus wrecks. What’s more, statistics show of the nearly 5,000 boating accidents last year, 710 were killed.
The number one cause of death in boating accidents is drowning. Studies show 9 out of 10 victims were not wearing a life jacket. While most states require boaters to wear lifejackets, some simply choose to break the law… and end up paying the ultimate price.
Another reason for the increase in boating accidents—BUI–or boating under the influence. It accounted for 20% of all boating accidents last year according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The bottom line: if you plan to drink while you are on the water you’d better have a designated driver on board. The Coast Guard along with local police will be cracking down on BUI this summer. The agencies recently announced they would be making more random stops and searches on the water, checking for alcohol as well as safety equipment on board.
There’s also the problem of proper equipment… or lack there of. It’s not enough just to carry the required number of personal flotation devices–you actually need to put them on for them to be effective. Reaching for a floatation device after an accident is akin to buckling your seat belt after your vehicle has slammed into a tree.
Those reasons aside, one of the most overlooked causes of boating accidents is the simple fact that many of the individuals operating recreational motor crafts have little or no training, and what’s worse — in most states they’re not even required to be trained. Think about it–just about anyone can operate a boat. In most states you aren’t required to obtain a license to get behind the wheel. As for a minimum age for driving a boat… I’ve seen kids as young as 6-years-old steering motor crafts on the local lake we frequent.
You’d never know it (likely because so few boaters take advantage of them), but there are numerous boating safety courses offered across the country. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boating classes and instruction and well as some marine retailers (some even offer life jacket seminars, as well as free vessel safety inspections). If you need a reason to enroll in one of the classes consider this: nearly 70% of all reported boating deaths occurred when the driver had not received any boating instruction.
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