Coast Guard: Be sure to practice safe boating
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Boating is an activity that many in Wisconsin enjoy each year. On the water are jet skis, motorboats, ski boats, sailboats and other recreational vessels.
Even though boating seems relatively safe, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, thousands of boating accidents occur each year in the United States.
In 2008 alone, there were 4,789 reported boat accidents in the country, which resulted in 709 deaths and 3,331 injuries.
The recreational boat accident facts (reported by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Recreational Boating Statistics 2008 publication) are:
- Recreational boating accidents caused $54 million of property damage
- More than two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned
- Among the drowning victims, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket
- Only 10 percent of the fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction
- Seven out of 10 drowning victims were on boats less than 21 feet in length
- Alcohol was a leading factor in deadly boating accidents
- Eleven children younger than 13 died in boating accidents
- Open motorboats were the most common type of vessel involved in boat accidents
The U.S. Coast Guard also identified the top five contributing factors in boat accidents as careless or reckless operation, operator inattention, no proper lookout, operator inexperience and improper passenger or skier behavior.
Before you start the season
Be sure your watercraft is safe. Arrange for a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary courtesy Vessel Examination (VE). The VE is quick and free and no tickets will ever be issued for failure. Your examiner will check to ensure you are in compliance with state and federal regulations and make sure all required safety gear is on board and in good working order.
The examiner will take you through a checklist, review boating regulations and will answer your questions on safe boating. When you pass, you will be issued a USCG-AUX sticker which indicates to everyone that you and your vessel are in compliance and ready for a safe boating season.
Before you leave the dock
Have a boaters checklist and run through it prior to embarking - have a life jacket (personal floatation device, PFD) approved by the Coast Guard and appropriately sized for each person on board. By law children 12 and younger must be wearing the PFD at all times when the boat is underway and the children are above deck. Have at least one approved throwable PFD on board and easily accessible. Be sure batteries are secure, gas tanks are properly anchored and signal devices are handy. Review emergency procedures with the passengers before you get underway.
Once underway
Never drink alcohol and pilot a boat. Beside the obvious danger, it is illegal and carries a hefty fine. Maintain a safe speed and be aware of other boaters and swimmers around you. Know the right of way/give way rules and be familiar with the waters you are navigating.
Be prepared and informed. The most important aspect of safe boating is knowing what to do to avoid trouble and how to handle trouble should it arise. The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers affordable ABC - Safe Boating classes throughout the year. These nine-hour courses, offered in three hours sessions, include in-depth training on boat and trailer handling, boating laws, navigation, storage and many other pertinent topics.
New this year is a state requirement that anyone born after Jan. 1, 1989, must obtain a boater safety certificate in order to operate a Personal Watercraft. Completion of the ABC -Safe Boating course satisfies the Wisconsin DNR requirement for individuals ages 12-16 and anyone born after Jan. 1, 1989.
Those passing the course will receive a certificate to operate a PWC without adult supervision.
With a healthy respect for the water and others around you, you will enjoy safe boating this season and for many more to come.
May 22-28 is National Safe Boating Week.
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