2008 Coast Guard Statistics

[chipj29]

I just did some browsing on the Coast Guards web page.
http://www.uscgboating.org/statistic...tatistics.aspx

In 2008, the Coast Guard counted 4789 accidents involving 709 deaths, 3331 injuries. Some snippets from the report:

-10 percent of the deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction.

-The top five primary contributing factors in accidents:
1. Careless/reckless operation
2. Operator inattention
3. No proper lookout
4. Operator inexperience
5. Passenger/skier behavior
It should be noted that "Excessive Speed" is 7th on the list, with "Machinery Failure" ranking higher.

-Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 17% of the deaths.

Click the link and see the stats for yourselves. Figures never lie.

[VitaBene]

C'mon, you can't take this seriously- the Coast Guard?? what do they know about boating. It must be all made up

[Kamper]

Casualty Data
Recreational Boating Statistics 2008 51
Table 30 ▪ ACCIDENT, CASUALTY & DAMAGE DATA BY STATE 2008


Jurisdiction.......Total.......Fatal.......Non-Fatal..........Property Damage
.....................Accidents Accidents Injury Accidents Accidents
New Hampshire 28...........2..............15.................... 11

.....................Deaths.....Injured.....Proper ty Damage
.....................2............17............$5 3,087

As a point of information, NH acounted for 0.3% of boating deaths in the USA for 2008.

I do find it interesting that 90% of fatalities involved operators that had no safety training.

[Resident 2B]

Originally Posted by chipj29

I just did some browsing on the Coast Guards web page.
http://www.uscgboating.org/statistic...tatistics.aspx

In 2008, the Coast Guard counted 4789 accidents involving 709 deaths, 3331 injuries. Some snippets from the report:

-10 percent of the deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction.

-The top five primary contributing factors in accidents:
1. Careless/reckless operation
2. Operator inattention
3. No proper lookout
4. Operator inexperience
5. Passenger/skier behavior
It should be noted that "Excessive Speed" is 7th on the list, with "Machinery Failure" ranking higher.

-Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 17% of the deaths.

Click the link and see the stats for yourselves. Figures never lie.

Oh no! The facts are going to get in the way of the Winfabs' "Smoke and Mirrors Campaign"!

This really is Winfabs worst fear. It scares them even more than the sight of a fast boat sitting at a Winnipesaukee dock. Facts are a very low blow. How dare you use them?

Next, will be a proposal for a law forbidding facts being presented in a debate because it puts real fear in the lives of people that use deception and embellishment to forward their cause!

What is this world coming to?

R2B

Number 3 of the five posts per day that I am allowed;

Passenger killed in this "cigarette boat" roll-over in SC, but there is no evidence of excessive speed (Wink). Maybe he flipped over at 45 (Ya, right). Luckily, the driver survived to kill another day;
http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11280141

[DEJ]

R2B, facts always win in the end.

[gtagrip]

Originally Posted by elchase

Number 3 of the five posts per day that I am allowed;

Passenger killed in this "cigarette boat" roll-over in SC, but there is no evidence of excessive speed (Wink). Maybe he flipped over at 45 (Ya, right). Luckily, the driver survived to kill another day;
http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11280141

Can't wait to see how creative your last two posts of the day will be. Make them good.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by elchase

Number 3 of the five posts per day that I am allowed;

The way you have been spamming different threads lately,5 may be 4 too many.

[Yosemite Sam]

Speeding ranks 3rd for injuries and 4th for deaths in 2008.

[BroadHopper]

Please attach the link to the above charts so that I can see why it contradict what the USCG chart?

Thanks

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Please attach the link to the above charts so that I can see why it contradict what the USCG chart?

Thanks

The charts that I posted were from the USCG link that chipj29 gave us. Pages 19 and 20 of the pdf file. He only gave the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
But here is again: http://www.uscgboating.org/statistic...tatistics.aspx

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

The glossary for the 2008 Coast Guard boating statistics (page 68) lists their definition of Excessive Speed.


"Excessive Speed - Speed above that which a reasonable and prudent person would have operated under the conditions that existed. It is not necessarily a speed in excess of a posted limit."

And from page 26 - table 13: (note when the speed is known - see how many are under 10 mph or NOT MOVING)

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by Skipper of the Sea Que

The glossary for the 2008 Coast Guard boating statistics (page 68) lists their definition of Excessive Speed.


"Excessive Speed - Speed above that which a reasonable and prudent person would have operated under the conditions that existed. It is not necessarily a speed in excess of a posted limit."

And from page 26 - table 13: (note when the speed is known - see how many are under 10 mph or NOT MOVING)

It looks to me that traveling under 40mph can be pretty dangerous...

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Just Sold

"...the 3 highest months for deaths is Oct, Nov, Dec and the lowest months are June July and August...Winni's High Boating season is June, July and August..."

Ocean stats?

Originally Posted by Just Sold

"...I do not believe that NH reports its inland lakes deaths/accidents to the CG. I could be wrong though..."

In 2002—in a state having "80% of boaters with alcohol on board"—NH recorded two (2) arrests for BUI.

Originally Posted by Just Sold

"...Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket..."

PFDs aren't body armor: How many were struck directly while wearing a life jacket?

Anyone read the legal disclaimers on the latest jackets? ("Not for speeds over 45-MPH") How many PFDs were ripped off by ejection of a passenger over 45-MPH? And skiers?

Originally Posted by Just Sold

"...The 12,692,892 boats registered by the states in 2008 represent a 1.4%decrease from last year when 12,875,568 boats were registered..."

Except for a noisy few boaters, the thrill of boating has become more expensive and less enjoyable. (It's a decade-long trend, prompting a huge ad-campaign by boat manufacturers).

Originally Posted by Skipper of the Sea Que

"...see how many are under 10 mph or NOT MOVING..."

More importantly, contrast the extremes between "No Engine" and "Unknown Power". (Even worse, when "Over 250-HP" is thrown in). You don't want to be in either extreme!

"Honey, before that sailboat interrupted our fun, were we told if ethanol had reduced our horsepower from 1300 to 1100?"
...

"Sorry, officer, I don't know what horsepower my boat has". Maybe after we've dried off and we can locate just where our boat ended up."

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

I think that any boat that has the potential to go over 55 MPH and is used on any Lake or Pond in NH should have a governor (speed limiter) on it.

1) I'd like to see every governor (speed limiter) taken off.

While there'd be a lot more boats being towed, most would deserve the destruction of their engines through abuse.

2) On Lake Winnipesaukee at least, every boat does have a governor—it's called a "driver"—who will pick-and-choose which laws to observe.

3) While we're at it, another compromise:
Have NH legislators invalidate every boating insurance liability policy.

Insurance doesn't pay for collisions perpetrated by drunks anyway, but sober "drivers" will exercise far more caution. IMHO.

Originally Posted by codeman671

"...It looks to me that traveling under 40mph can be pretty dangerous...

Tell me about it!

[jmen24]

Excessive Speed - Speed above that which a reasonable and prudent person would have operated
under the conditions that existed. It is not necessarily a speed in excess of a posted limit.

From the glossary in the report. Page 69

Thanks Al, I need to be a little quicker.

A real life example of excessive speed. If you are driving in your car and approach a corner with one of the yellow signs with a suggested speed under the corner sign and slide off the road and damage your vehicle enough that the police have to file a report. You will be sited for excessive speed even if you are going below the posted speed limit at the time. The reason being is that those suggestioned speeds have a reason for being there. That is the speed at which (without any other contributing factors) you can safely navigate that corner with a zero coefficient of friction (nearly impossible but teflon to teflon is about as close as you can get http://www.engineershandbook.com/Tab...efficients.htm ). By sliding off the road at a rate of speed higher than the suggested speed you will have Excessive Speed listed as the number 1 contributing factor in your accident.

[Yosemite Sam]

I think that any boat that has the potential to go over 55 MPH and is used on any Lake or Pond in NH should have a governor (speed limiter) on it.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

I think that any boat that has the potential to go over 55 MPH and is used on any Lake or Pond in NH should have a governor (speed limiter) on it.

You're kidding right? The only governor one should need is your brain controlling your right hand (boat, bike, sled) or right foot.

Do you think that every car or truck should be equipped with governors as well?

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

Do you think that every car or truck should be equipped with governors as well?

Yes they should if they are used on NH Lake's and Pond's during the summer time.... and I don't think it's such a bad idea on the highways either.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Yes they should if they are used on NH Lake's and Pond's during the summer time.... and I don't think it's such a bad idea on the highways either.

Are you one of those people that stays in the left lane on the highway, even if you are not passing anyone?

[Airwaves]

So in 2008 there were 96,205 boats registered in NH, 28 accidents, 17 injuries and 2 deaths.

Considering the average family size in NH is 3.01 persons meaning 295,770 people were probable boaters on NH waters not including out of state registered boats that enjoy our lakes.

I'd say that is a damn good record of safety!

[Kamper]

I drove U-Haul truck with a governor on it a couple times. If I'd needed to hit the gas to avoid an accident I'd have been screwed even if it were below the max speed. The gizmo seemed to assume that anything over a certain rev limit must be speeding and down-shifted to the lowest gear (automatic transmission).

On a boat it might not know the difference between high-cruise and hole-shot either. Same danger with trying to get out of some Bonehead's way.

To those citing the Coast Guard data, I hate to burst your bubble, but the fatalities are categorized by the speed of the boat the victim was in...usually the slower-moving smaller boat, such as the kayaker who got run over by a speeding performance boat. Since the kayaker was standing still, that fatality is listed as "0-10 MPH". The speed of the speedboat is not recorded unless one of its passengers was killed too. This might seem obvious, given that it is hard for someone standing still to cause a deadly collision, so seeing all those deaths at 0-10MPH should have clued.
I have no idea how they categorize when they don't know the speed, like if some one had been killed int he striking boat when Mr. Hartman was killed. Maybe they just use the speed that the striking boater says he was going. In that case, the death would have been in the 20-30MPH bracket because that is the speed Littlefield claimed to have been going.


Speaking of the Hartman death, doesn't this fatal NJ accident sound very similar?;
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/show....php?p=1913240

[Airwaves]

It's almost like elchase is disappointed that there have not been high speed accidents on Lake Winnipesaukee that he can point to so he resorts to trying to cast a negative light on the USCG stats (what do they know anyway!) and troll for out of state accidents to prove his point.

Only 28 accidents in NH in 2008 (pre-speed limit) with 96,205 boats registered in NH and how many thousands more from out of state?
That shows me that NH is very safe and Winnipesaukee in particular is a safe place to boat.

In 2008 what rules were in place?
Speed limits? Nope.
Mandatory eduction? Yes.

Go figure!

Here's two boats each going 100MPH when they collided. Of course, almost everyone died...five out of six. Maybe they were drunk or not keeping a proper lookout, thereby making their speeds irrelevant (WINK). Thankfully, this can't happen on Winnipesaukee where it is illegal to go that fast;

http://www.kxii.com/news/headlines/3900121.html

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by elchase

Here's two boats each going 100MPH when they collided. Of course, almost everyone died...five out of six. Maybe they were drunk or not keeping a proper lookout, thereby making their speeds irrelevant (WINK). Thankfully, this can't happen on Winnipesaukee where it is illegal to go that fast;

http://www.kxii.com/news/headlines/3900121.html

In most sponsored Poker Runs, it IS illegal to go that fast. More and more major poker runs have rules as to speed, NO Alcohol, none of this and none of that. Do you seriously think that if there were a speed limit the end result would be different? How does this accident compare to the 22' Crownline bowrider that ran into a barge killing several people?

You're beginning to show a lack of knowledge, or at least a lack of focus El.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by elchase

Here's two boats each going 100MPH when they collided. Of course, almost everyone died...five out of six. Maybe they were drunk or not keeping a proper lookout, thereby making their speeds irrelevant (WINK). Thankfully, this can't happen on Winnipesaukee where it is illegal to go that fast;

http://www.kxii.com/news/headlines/3900121.html

So that must mean that all of these other states don't have speed limits?

Or that the cars passing me on 93 today were not really speeding because it is illegal to go that fast?

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by elchase

To those citing the Coast Guard data, I hate to burst your bubble, but the fatalities are categorized by the speed of the boat the victim was in...usually the slower-moving smaller boat, such as the kayaker who got run over by a speeding performance boat.

In every accident with fatality resulting, I've always seen the speed of the Offending boat. I can't imagine that the sailboat's stand-still speed was used in the accident stat instead of the off-duty officer's Speeding boat that ran into him.

Excessive Speed is always characterized in accident's meaning the speed of the offender.

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

Originally Posted by elchase

To those citing the Coast Guard data, I hate to burst your bubble, but the fatalities are categorized by the speed of the boat the victim was in...usually the slower-moving smaller boat, such as the kayaker who got run over by a speeding performance boat. Since the kayaker was standing still, that fatality is listed as "0-10 MPH". The speed of the speedboat is not recorded unless one of its passengers was killed too. This might seem obvious, given that it is hard for someone standing still to cause a deadly collision, so seeing all those deaths at 0-10MPH should have clued. ...

Clue: not all accidents, injuries or fatalities are the result of collisions and not all accidents resulted in reportable injuries or fatalities.

Ever been in a sailboat at the dock when the sail fills with wind and the boom swings over the boat clobbering anyone in the path? Just one example. There are many more accidents involving boats not moving or traveling less than 10 mph that have no involvement with speeding boats. Ever been in a rowboat when the oar slips out of the oarlock and smashes a passenger? Tip over in a canoe or kayak? Get a foot caught in an anchor line as it is deployed... and etc..

I'm sure you hate bursting bubbles . Let's look at the other data from the USCG statistics.

How about the other category, VESSELS INVOLVED.
Let's look at the number of ALL recreational boats Involved in accidents. Remember this is for all bodies of water, lakes, oceans, rivers and etc.

917 boats NOT MOVING were involved in accidents.

1522 boats traveling under 10 mph were INVOLVED in accidents.

1064 boats traveling between 10 and 20 mph were involved in accidents.

970 incidents involved boats going between 21 and 30 mph.

Only 176 boats going over 40 mph were involved in accidents (I'll bet some of those were under the Speed Limit of 45 mph).

1698 boats with unknown speeds were involved in accidents.

6347 TOTAL boats involved in accidents in all known and unknown speed categories.

So, removing the fatality and injury reporting provisions these statistics indicate that speed is NOT involved with the vast majority of boating accidents.

Q.E.D.

See the chart again, if you wish, HERE.

[Just Sold]

To really understand the data/statistics you should read the complete CG report.

This is a report is for all reported accidents to the CG for all areas it covers and may not reflect NH inland lakes in any way so a proper correlation could be difficult (IMHO). I do not believe that NH reports its inland lakes deaths/accidents to the CG. I could be wrong though.

Everyone is selecting sections and I too see one that is important.
Page 15 of the actual report shows (I could not get that one copy/pasted) that the 3 highest months for deaths is Oct, Nov, Dec and the lowest months are June July and August. Go figure??? Winni's High Boating season is June, July and August.

The Executive Summary States:

In 2008, the Coast Guard counted 4789 accidents that involved 709 deaths,
3331 injuries and approximately $54 million dollars of damage to property as a result
of recreational boating accidents.

•

Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket.

•

Only ten percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received

boating safety instruction.

•

Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in

length.

•

Careless/reckless operation, operator inattention, no proper lookout, operator

inexperience and passenger/skier behavior rank as the top five primary contributing

factors in accidents.

•

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed

as the leading factor in 17% of the deaths.

•

Eleven children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2008. 63% of the

children who died in 2008 died from drowning.

•

The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open

motorboats (43%), personal watercraft (23%), and cabin motorboats (15%).

•

The 12,692,892 boats registered by the states in 2008 represent a 1.4%
decrease from last year when 12,875,568 boats were registered.

[ApS]

What's gratifying to me is that so many of my points have gone unargued.

1) That racing 2- or 3- abreast across the Broads—especially while observing the 150-rule—intimidates,
2) The catharsis that comes with a "Final Statement". (That very few here did when given the opportunity),
3) No smaller state with more frozen water exists,
4) My quote went unchallenged: "We all know that there will always be boats at anchor and always be oversized boats with 'tipsy drivers', so my answer will be, that 'there will always be death on the water'".
5) That Lt. Dunleavey's quote on alcohol on board is re-quoted. (Since 2004, btw, and alcohol-use aboard is increasing).

I never keep/carry alcohol on board, and can't recall any of my neighbors doing so, either! (Ashore?—on porches—on sun decks—on docks—yes!)

What are you talking about the Marine Patrol and there budget?

1) No, a brand-new Nor-Tech brought to Winnipesaukee each season by an Opponent of the Speed Limit!

2) By "skin", I mean MY literal skin!

How many commercial fishing vessels have injuries every year that require Coast Guard assistance?

The only C.G. stats here concern recreational boating ONLY.

I must say that I am flattered by this...

Check that provided hyperlink again.

I will play along with your including Unknown as assuming larger than 250HP.

Then you'll be "playing along" with where the Coast Guard chose to place it.

If you are paddling alone than the chances are not in your favor. If there are two of you in your canoe the chances are still not is your favor. Does the Coast Guard track injuries occuring in a canoe valued at less than $2000.00?

1) The Coast Guard tracks only those collisions and injuries that are reported to state authorities. They state that 40% are NOT reported.

2) Since I know how to wear a baseball cap, I have no difficulty in seeing a kayaker—whatsoever, but the odds between the speedboat and the paddler are seldom in favor of the paddler.

"...I cannot for the life of me understand why. You are so completely hung up on boats running ashore and killing someone..."

With all of the accounts of docks being cut across—and passengers killed/ejected—it's only a matter of time. Will you be going on record—anytime soon—that it can't happen?

I agree that the night limit, as low as it is, would make it easy to weed out the cowboys. I wonder when that starts to happen? You can be a walking, talking, posting contradiction. If I added the above to all previous posts of what's wrong on the water, nobody would be left. Except yourself?
Knowing what you know about the MP budget, exactly how much do you expect from the MP's, night or day.

1) Thank you for re-posting most my "final statement" from the exact place to do a first-order catharsis—"Final Statements". (Rancor originates from those who have NOT posted a "Final Statement").

2) If there are contradictions, I don't see them.

3) As I have done with other, far-more-intense law enforcement agencies, I have the necessary details to ride with the NHMP next season: I'll let you know how that goes.

I read through this post in it's entirety yesterday and again today...I don't know what you're looking at

I threw myself off by changing my focus from horsepower (my first post) to speed (the second and third): horsepower is correct.

Member jmen24 seems to captured the core of my thoughts on horsepower the best. Maybe it's more clear now?

That "silly picture" that I see every day on the Lake...follows:

[DEJ]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

What's gratifying to me is that so many of my points have gone unargued.

It is possible some have you on ignore.

[OCDACTIVE]

Originally Posted by DEJ

It is possible some have you on ignore.

not as much as someone else...

[jmen24]

APS, missed my point? I will simplify my thank you comment.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...&postcount=263

Now you know how the rest of us feel.