MEASURING THE SAFETY OF RECREATIONAL BOATERS

This article discusses the measures of safety in recreational boating, including statistics in recreational boating safety and accident prevention approaches implemented by the United States Coast Guard. The best available measures of safety in recreational boating are accident, injury and fatality rates that adjust the number of incidents to the changing boat population. The latest accident statistics show that 7 out of every 10 boating deaths were caused by drowning, and that 9 of out of every 10 deaths could have been prevented if the victims had worn their personal flotation devices (PFDs). However, the data shows a strong downward trend in drowning deaths during the last 10 years, which suggests that safety campaigns and laws requiring PFD use are having an impact. To reduce the number of recreational boating accidents, injuries, fatalities and associated health costs, the Coast Guard has implemented a risk-based decision-making process (RBDM). RBDM will facilitate better-organized information about the probability of one or more negative incomes associated with the use of recreational vessels and will help measure the effectiveness of recreational boating safety activities in minimizing the risk associated with boating. This process will assist the Coast Guard in making more prudent resource allocation decisions.

• Corporate Authors:

  United States Coast Guard

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

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 12-15
• Serial:
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Boating; Crash rates; Decision support systems; Drowning; Fatalities; Injury rates; Life preservers; Marine safety; Measures of effectiveness; Risk assessment; Safety programs; Statistical analysis
• Identifier Terms: United States Coast Guard
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00967935
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 4 2004 12:00AM