1. Boating Statistics Presentation to the National Boating Safety Advisory Council 16 April Susan Tomczuk Boating Safety Division U.S. Coast Guard

2. Disclaimer
This presentation on 2009 boating statistics is unique because
It represents a study of state-specific data, not national data
For the most part, numbers are not included!
The reason why USCG is providing numberless, state-specific data is because not all national data has been validated and approved for dissemination.
Boating Statistics 2009

3. Introduction
This presentation focuses on data from California and will address the following areas:
Registration Numbers
Fatality Rate
The Three Pillars of the RBS Program
Life Jacket Use
Operator Education
Alcohol Use
Hot Issues
The Role of Manually-propelled Craft
The Role of Technology in Accidents
Boating Statistics 2009

4. Percent Change in Registration
Registration Numbers
Vessel Registration
2009
906,988*
2008
858,853
2007
964,881
2006
893,828
2005
963,758
2004
894,884
Percent Change in Registration
5.60%*
-10.99%
7.95%
-7.26%
7.70%
*indicates tentative numbers
Boating Statistics 2009

5. Percent Change in Registration
Registration Numbers
Vessel Registration
2009
12,695,858
2008
12,692,892
2007
12,875,568
2006
12,746,126
2005
12,942,414
2004
12,781,476
Percent Change in Registration
0.02%
-1.42%
1.02%
-1.52%
1.26%
*indicates tentative numbers
Boating Statistics 2009

6. Fatality Rate Boating Statistics 2009
The fatality rate represents the number of deaths per 100,000 registered vessels.
*The 2009 fatality rate is tentative
Boating Statistics 2009

7. Fatality Rate Boating Statistics 2009
The fatality rate represents the number of deaths per 100,000 registered vessels.
Boating Statistics 2009

8. Part 1 of The Pillars: Life Jackets
Percentages by Deaths and PFD Usage by Cause of Death, CA, 2009
% Deaths
% of Victims Wearing their PFD
Drowning
63%
28%
Trauma
30%
50%
Unknown 7%
33%
Of those who died, 63% drowned, 30% died from trauma and the cause of death for 7% of victims is unknown
Of those who drowned, 72% were not wearing a life jacket.
Boating Statistics 2009

9. Part 2 of The Pillars: Education
In California in 2009, 30% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had education. The majority of these deaths (92%) occurred on boats where the operator had informal education.
Boating Statistics 2009

10. Part 3 of The Pillars: Alcohol Use
In California in 2009, 15% of deaths occurred in accidents where alcohol use was listed as a cause (primary, secondary, tertiary or “other”) of the accident.
Boating Statistics 2009

11. Hot Topic 1: Manually-propelled Craft
In California in 2009, 21% of deaths occurred on vessels that were manually-propelled.
Boating Statistics 2009

12. Hot Topic 2: Technology
There have been a lot of requests for data on the role of technology in boating accidents. Such technology includes GPS, cell phones, depth finders, computers and televisions.
A search for such key words in the narrative demonstrated that in California in 2009, the use of technology contributed to less than 1% of accidents, 4% of deaths and 0.5% of injuries.
Boating Statistics 2009

13. Wrap up
USCG is still reviewing 2009 data. Recreational Boating Statistics 2009 will likely be published in June 2010.
Boating Statistics 2009