SMART REGULATIONS SAVE LIVES: A REGULATORY HISTORY

The Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 (FBSA) authorizes the U.S. Coast Guard to promulgate regulations addressing such issues as manufacturing requirements and carriage of safety equipment. This article describes some of the regulations issued by the Coast Guard under FBSA and the benefits of regulations enacted as a result of the FBSA. The Coast Guard's Recreational Boating Safety Program establishes regulations that involve minimum requirements for boats and associated equipment. The Coast Guard works with both manufacturers and the public to find the best balance in developing these regulations. Each regulation issued by the Coast Guard must be safety-related and developed in response to a demonstrated need. The first regulations and standards applicable to manufacturers were adapted from industry standards and established defect notification and boat identification requirements. In March 1973, the Coast Guard issued the first regulations regarding the carriage of personal flotation devices (PFDs) on non-motorized recreational vehicles. Other early regulations addressed the carriage of approved visual distress signals on recreational vessels. More recent regulations include rules concerning the wearing of PFDs by children aboard recreational vehicles, raising the threshold of property damage for reports of accidents involving recreational vehicles, and revising federal blood alcohol concentration standards for recreational vessel operators. Due to these regulations, the fatality rate has dropped from 30 deaths for every 100,000 registered boats in 1973 to 6 deaths for every 100,000 registered boats in 2001.

• Corporate Authors:

  United States Coast Guard

  National Maritime Center, 4200 Wilson Boulevard
  Arlington, VA  United States  22203-1804
• Authors:
  • PERRY, C
  • Timmons, J
• Conference:
  • Proceedings of the Marine Safety Council
• Publication Date: 2003-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 8-11
• Serial:
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Boating; Boats; Children; Distress signals; History; Injury rates; Legislation; Life preservers; Loss and damage; Marine safety; Regulations; Safety equipment; Safety programs; Standards
• Identifier Terms: Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971; United States Coast Guard
• Subject Areas: History; Law; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00967934
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 3 2004 12:00AM