Most Wanted

Transportation Safety

Improvements

Do you require your family to wear life jackets on board your boat, if not, you might want to consider the following:

Recreational Boating Safety changes proposed by the National Transportation Safety Board:

Importance

• Unlike general aviation and motor vehicle operations, an operator of a recreational boat is not required to demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the road or an ability to operate the vessel. A 1993 Safety Board study found that perhaps as few as 7 percent, and certainly no more than 22 percent, of first time boat operators will have taken some type of voluntary boating safety course. Moreover, successful completion of these courses indicates only that the persons who have taken them have knowledge of basic boating safety rules; it does not indicate that these persons have demonstrated an ability to operate the vessel.

• Safety Board studies estimated that at least 37 percent of the operators involved in fatal accidents were known to have or were presumed to have consumed alcohol before their accidents.

·        The Board's 1993 study on recreational boating safety indicated that 85 percent of those who drowned in a boating accident, and for whom information was available, were not wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs).

• Operators of rented personal watercraft (PWC) in the Board’s sample had less PWC experience than did operators of privately owned PWC.  Only one out of three PWC renters included in the Safety Board’s accident analysis indicated that the rental agent had required them to demonstrate PWC riding ability.

Safety Recommendations

M-93-1 (The States, the District of Columbia, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico)

Issued November 7, 1993

Status:  Varies

Implement minimum recreational boating safety standards to reduce the number and severity of accidents; consider requirements such as mandatory use of personal flotation devices for children, demonstration of operator knowledge of safety boating rules and skills, and operator licensing.  (Source: A 1993 Recreational Boating Safety Study [NTSB/SS-93-01])

M-98-101 (The States, the District of Columbia, and Territories)

Issued June 25, 1998

Status:  Varies

Enact or revise your recreational boating laws, as necessary, to require rental businesses to provide safety instruction training to all persons who operate rented personal watercraft; all the operators should be required to demonstrate their ability to operate and control personal watercraft.  (Source: A 1998 Personal Watercraft Safety Study [NTSB/SS-98-01])

Summary of Action

Since the Safety Board’s recommendations were issued, numerous States have enacted legislation.

·         Mandatory education: 19 States and the District of Columbia (AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, KS, KY, MD, MI, MS, NH, NJ, NV, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX. VT, and WV)

·         Operator license: 1 State (AL)

·         Mandatory wearing of PFDs for children: 41 States (AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA-amended age, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, MT, NC, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA-amended age, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, and WV)

·         Boating While Intoxicated: 49 States (not NM) have established a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) definition; 47 States require toxicological testing of fatalities (not MO, NY, and PA); 42 States require a chemical test if a recreational boat operator is suspected of being impaired (not CA, CT, MD, MT, NM, NC, WA, WY)

·         Safety instruction at PWC rental operations: 31 States (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, HI, IA, ID, IN, KY, MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, ND, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, and WV)

Action(s) Remaining

·         31 States to require education of recreational boat operators or an operator license.

·         9 States and the District of Columbia to require PFD use by children on recreational boats.

·         20 States to require safety instruction at personal watercraft rental operations.