EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BOATING STATISTICS - 2005

    In 2005, States and jurisdictions reported a total of 12,942,414 registered recreational boats compared to 12,781,476 in 2004. The 4,969 boating accidents reported in 2005 resulted in 697 fatalities, 3,451 injuries, and $38,721,088 in property damage.

    Approximately seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned (491 out of 697). Moreover, eighty-seven (87) percent of the victims who drowned were not wearing their personal flotation device (PFD or lifejacket). Overall, fatal accident data show approximately 426 lives could have been saved last year if boaters had worn their lifejackets.

    The most reported type of accident was a collision with another vessel. However, capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents and accounted for the vast majority (59%) of all boating fatalities. Boat operators need to pay attention to the capacity label on their boat and be careful not to overload small boats (less than 16 feet) with passengers and/or gear.

• Overall, carelessness/reckless operation, operator inattention, excessive speed and operator inexperience are the leading contributing factors of all reported accidents.

• The most common types of boats involved in reported accidents were Open motorboats (45%), personal watercraft (PWC) (26%) and cabin motorboats (14%). Increases were observed in the number of reported fatalities involving PWC (65), cabin motorboats (54), inflatables (22), sailboats (16), and houseboats (10) from 2004: A decrease was observed in the number of fatalities involving canoes/kayaks (78) and rowboats (39) from the number of fatalities reported in 2004.

• The number of reported non-fatal injuries (1,007) involving PWC use increased for the first time since 1996.

Twenty-one (21) children age 12 and under lost their lives while boating in 2005 compared to 14 children in 2004.

• Approximately 70% of all reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction

• Alcohol use was either a direct or indirect contributing factor in approximately one-quarter of all boating fatalities in 2005.