U.S. Coast Guards Releases Recreational Boating Statistics

Summer is right around the corner, and with summer comes vacations and recreation, like boating. The United States Coast Guard recently released its 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics. The data revealed that although there was a decrease in accidents, there was an increase in deaths. The total number of recreational boating accidents in 2011 was 4588,…

Summer is right around the corner, and with summer comes vacations and recreation, like boating. The United States Coast Guard recently released its 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics. The data revealed that although there was a decrease in accidents, there was an increase in deaths. The total number of recreational boating accidents in 2011 was 4588, with 758 fatalities and 3,081 injuries reported.

July was the month with the most accidents and the most fatalities – 1215 accidents, 1090 injuries, 142 deaths. December had the highest percentage of accident fatalities – 83 accidents, with 22 deaths. The time of day when most accidents occurred was between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. That was also the time of day that the highest percentage of fatal accidents occurred.

The top five primary contributing factors in boating accidents were operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed and machinery. The leading cause of accident fatalities was alcohol – 125 people died in boating accidents caused by the operator being under the influence.

Drowning was the cause of seventy percent of the fatalities and 84 percent of those people who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

Just seven percent of the deaths occurred on boats that had operators who had received boating safety instruction from a NASBLA-approved course provider. NASBLA is the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety.

If you are injured in a boating accident, contact a qualified Texas personal injury attorney to see what damages you may be entitled to for pain and loss.