By Bob Currie, Vessel Examiner
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 081-06-08
Flotilla 081-06-08 is based at Coast Guard Station Galveston. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the US Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.

Last week I shared the Recreational Boating Accident Report with you, and I mentioned that one thing the Coast Guard did with these reports was to compile statistics. This week we will look at the latest compiled list from the Coast Guard. I ask everyone to carefully read these statistics and use them as a guide for what not to do on the water. The most important things you can do to be a safe boater are:

• Take a Safe Boating Course
• Equip your boat with the necessary safety items
• Always wear a life jacket
• Get a free Vessel Safety Check
• Always file a Float Plan
• Know what to do in case of an emergency
• Remember that alcohol and boating do not mix

If you were born after September 1, 1993, you must have taken a safe boating course in order to operate most boats. For information on safe boating courses (including classroom and online), visit

Latest Coast Guard Statistics (2016)

• There were 701 boating fatalities in 2016 nationwide
• 371 of these deaths were in District Eight (our district), more than 53% of the total
• Nationally, 167 paddlers were killed (63 canoes, 89 kayaks and 15 stand up paddleboards, or SUP) – 29% of the total reported 624 fatal boating accidents
• 129 paddlers were seriously injured (45 canoes, 79 kayaks and 5 SUP)
• Over eighty (80) percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned and of those, eighty-three (83) percent were reported as not wearing a life jacket
• Eight of every ten boaters who drowned were onboard vessels less than 21 feet in length
• Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents
• Alcohol and drug use was the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 96, more than 13%, of reported deaths
• Sixteen (16) children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2016. Eight children or fifty (50) percent of the children died from drowning
• The leading (1st event) cause of casualties is a collision with another recreational boat, followed by collision with a fixed object and third, flooding/swamping
• Where data is known, the most vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (47%), kayaks (13%) and canoes (9%)
• Of the country’s total 5967 vessels involved in 4463 reported casualties in 2016, 4352 (73%) were vessels less than 26 feet in length
• At least 3089 (52%) were being operated by a person 36 years old or older resulting in 452 deaths and 2095 injuries
• Where instruction was known, 77% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. Only 13% percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received a nationally approved boating safety education certificate
• There were 171 accidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller, resulting in 24 deaths and 175 injuries
• 3219 of the boat operators involved in boating accidents had 500 hours or less of boat operating experience and were responsible for 313 (44.6%) of the deaths and 1885 (64.9%) of the total injuries
• Open motor boats remain the leading type of vessel involved in fatal casualties (323 or 46%) with paddle craft at number 2 (167 or 23.8%)
• Top ten contributing factors in all 2016 boating accidents (fatal and non-fatal) were:

o Operator inattention 13.4%
o Operator inexperience 10.7%
o Improper lookout 10.6%
o Excessive speed 8.1%
o Machinery failure 7.2%
o Alcohol use 6.3%
o Weather 4.8%
o Rules of the Road 4.8%
o Hazardous waters 4.6%
o Force of wave / wake 3.6%

• Approximately 60% of all state registered recreational boats in the United States are in District 8 (our district)

Important Safe Boating Dates

• National Safe Boating Week: May 19-25.
• Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day: Friday, May 18th.
• Ready, Set, Wear It! Life Jacket World Record Day: Saturday, May 19th.

For more information on boating safety, please visit the Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division at www.uscgboating.org. Questions about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or our free Vessel Safety Check program may be directed to me at [email protected]. I am available to perform free Vessel Safety Checks, and I will come to your location to perform them. SAFE BOATING!

[2-19-2018]